Experts Say Trump GOP Rivals Refusing To Drop Out of Presidential Race Is ‘Best-Case Scenario’ for Trump

Former President Donald Trump continues to make strides in GOP polls, making critics feel like the inability of anti-Trump GOP candidates is letting Trump win too easily.

According to a recent survey, Trump held onto his lead in Iowa, where the caucuses are coming up soon. 58% of Iowans who are expected to vote in the GOP caucuses indicated they favor Trump, while 22% backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and 13% backed Haley, per Axios. 44% of New Hampshire's probable GOP voters stated they would support Trump, compared to 29% who said they would support Haley.

Famous Republican New Hampshire Governor, Chris Sununu, backed Nikki Haley, as the third early-state governor to back an anti-Trump contender. This echoes the support for Trump by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and Ron DeSantis by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, per POLITICO.

Though that could have been good news for the contenders, it was a disaster for Republicans eager to forget the former president and ended one of the worst weeks in the history of the effort to keep Trump out of the race. “If you’re Trump, that’s the best-case scenario,” Phil Taub, a GOP donor and activist who's friends with Sununu. “Everybody just wants it to be Trump versus one candidate. But as long as they are splitting up all the votes, Trump doesn’t even have to get 50 percent.”

Sen. Ted Cruz was leading Trump by three points in Iowa at this stage in the 2016 election; but, despite a disorganized field that year and the absence of a majority for him, Trump overcame his opponents. This time, the issue for anti-Trump Republicans is that the field is equally split and that Trump has a far larger advantage in each of the first four states. Furthermore, despite stepping up campaign activities in early states, obtaining well-known endorsements, and spending $167 million on ads so far with the aid of super PACs, all his rivals still have to catch up to wide gaps. “No one’s getting out,” a Republican strategist Dave Carney shared. “All the ‘No Trump’ voters are divided among four people. And math is a very simple process.”

This is even further complicated by the inability of any candidates except for Christie to directly attack Trump. They have failed to convince voters that they are the better option. Even Christie, who frequently attacks Trump, has now softened on Haley. This means even if Haley, DeSantis, or Ramaswamy drop out, there's no guarantee their voters won't back Trump. “It’s all — pardon the phrase — mental masturbation,” said Barrett Marson, an Arizona Republican strategist. “Trump has never slipped. And DeSantis and Haley would rather attack each other than the guy they are really running against. Everyone is struggling to come in second place in a race where only first place pays anything.”