Movement To End Donald Trump Nomination Is Real, But It’s Not Led By Jeb Bush

Donald Trump might be the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but certain members of the GOP aren’t going to yield the nomination to him without a fight. At least that’s what Donald Trump says.

According to CNN, Donald Trump accused former Florida governor Jeb Bush of leading an effort to block him from securing the nomination at the national convention in Cleveland next month. Trump made the accusation at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 18.

“By the way, Jeb is working on the movement, just so you understand. I love competition like that. I love it.”

While it may be tempting to dismiss Donald Trump’s suspicions, the presumptive Republican nominee may have a good reason to worry about his position in the party. A group of Republican delegates reportedly began organizing last week to alter the rules of the convention. If the delegates, led by Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh, are successful, bound delegates could be allowed to abstain from voting for Trump. Bound delegates are typically required to vote according to primary results. If Unruh is successful, Trump’s commanding delegate lead may evaporate.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Senator Ted Cruz allegedly built a contingency plan using almost exactly the same tactic. Ted Cruz’s plan relied on district and state conventions. Though the bound delegates in states such as Georgia are required to vote for Trump on the first ballot, they can vote for whoever they want on subsequent ballots. In Georgia, 32 of the 42 delegates positions won by Donald Trump were filled by Ted Cruz supporters. Senator Cruz seemed to largely abandon his plan after a poor showing during the Republican primaries. Could Jeb Bush be behind the current anti-Trump delegate movement?

It’s possible, but it’s unlikely. While many touted Jeb Bush as the favorite candidate of the GOP establishment, the Republican rank-and-file voters never took a liking to him. Before his February exit from the race, Jeb Bush had secured only four delegates. Most likely, the movement against Donald Trump started with one person: Donald Trump.

According to the Washington Post, the movement against Trump began with declining poll numbers and mounting concern that he cannot defeat Hillary Clinton. Even the Washington Post became part of the story of the changing tide of Donald Trump.

On June 13, 2016, Donald Trump revoked the Washington Post‘s press passes to Trump campaign events. Trump accused the paper of “inaccurate coverage and reporting” of his campaign and said that he no longer felt compelled to work with a paper more interested in “clicks” than journalistic integrity. The Washington Post was the seventh outlet barred from Trump campaign events. The other six are The National Review, The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Politico, and the Des Moines Register. None of the earlier blacklisted outlets received the level of press attention that the ban on the Washington Post has.

At least one person connected to the RNC has denied the existence of a grassroots anti-Trump movement. RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer denied the movement via his official Twitter account.

Regarding all of the discussion about the RNC Rules committee – see attached pic.twitter.com/RXNZSqbm0b

— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) June 17, 2016

Unfortunately for Spicer and Trump, the anti-Trump delegate movement is anything but a media creation. The Denver ABC affiliate spoke with Kendal Unruh about the movement which she calls “Free the Delegates 2016.”

Unruh is a government teacher and 30-year member of the Republican party. Unruh admits that the past few Republican presidential nominees haven’t been her first choice, but she drew the line at Donald Trump. Unruh, who has not advocated for any of Trump’s former competitors, cited Trump’s perceived racism and mocking of a reporter with physical disabilities as the primary reasons why she will not support him.

[Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images]