U.S. Republican Party in civil war over Trump

The U.S. Republican Party’s presidential race is getting ugly, as the frontrunner Donald Trump and the party’s former presidential candidates traded vulgar insults. They do not hesitate to launch personal attacks, referring to parts of their bodies. U.S. media report that the GOP is going into a “civila war.”

Former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney publicly declared his opposition to Trump during a speech at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Thursday. “Here's what I know: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud,” Romney said. "His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University.” He went on, criticizing Trump for his “bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics.” The former GOP candidate also said Trump was “a twisted example of evil trumping good.” Claiming that Trump’s nomination could be suicidal, Romney argued, “He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president.”

John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, joined the anti-Trump camp, also issued a statement, saying that he echoed “the many concerns about Mr. Trump’s uninformed and indeed dangerous statements on national security issues.”

The New York Times reported that the mainstream Republican leaders’ harsh attacks on their party’s likely presidential candidate are unprecedented. Such criticisms suggest the party’s internal sense of crisis stemming from fears that it would not win the presidential race with an unverified and foul-mouthed contender.

Trump struck back at such criticisms. In a speech to a rally in Portland, Maine, he said Romney was “begged me four years ago for my endorsement. I could have said, 'Mitt, drop to your knees.' He would have dropped to his knees.” Trump also said on social media that although he had attracted millions of supporters, the GOP leadership was trying to destroy it.

For the first time, Trump raised the possibility of running independently. In an interview with MSNBC, he said he would run independently if he leaves his party, claiming that millions of his supporters would stick with him.

In a Fox News debate among Republican contenders in Detroit, Michigan, Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio traded verbal attacks. "Look at those hands, are they small hands?" Trump asked, raising them for viewers to see. "And, he referred to my hands -- 'if they're small, something else must be small.' I guarantee you there's no problem. I guarantee." Recently, Trump ridiculed Rubio for being little. In return, Rubio mocked the GOP frontrunner for having relatively slight hands. "And you know what they say about men with small hands? You can't trust them," Rubio said. Also on Friday, the two exchanged insults, calling each other “Little Marco” and “Big Donald.”

Despite the Republican leadership’s barrage of attacks on Trump, his approval rating remains solid. Among the March 15 “mini-Super Tuesday” primary states, he is far ahead of his rivals in Rubio’s home turf Florida and Gov. John Kasich’s home ground Ohio.

Some observers say that the Republican Party should reflect on its failure over the seven years’ Obama presidency to prove its ability to take power. The Washington Post commented that the GOP leadership should look back on what it had done while Trump was rising. Former U.S. Navy Adm. John F. Lehman said in an interview with the New York Times that although it is important to ask if Trump is fit for the Supreme Commander, it is too late.

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