Donald Trump may be known more for his brazen antics than his presidential potential, but the business magnate could make more waves on the trail than expected by forcing fellow candidates to tackle touchy subjects early on in the race, analysts say.
“He’s an agenda-setter right now in the Republican party,” said Erin O’Brien, associate professor of political science at University of Massachusetts Boston. “Other candidates are going to have to talk in more detail about issues they were hoping would remain off the table, namely immigration.
“It may force them to take more radical positions,” she added.
Trump again brought out his brash immigration rhetoric yesterday at a gathering in Las Vegas, which he hit before heading to a standing room-only event in Phoenix, where flag-waving supporters carried signs reading “Make America Great Again” and “Truth Trumps All.”
“These people wreak havoc on our population,” he said of immigrants who come to America illegally, suggesting that a wall should be built along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump took heat last month after his announcement speech when he said that many of the people crossing the border from Mexico are criminals and rapists.
But despite drawing outrage from voters that likely won’t help his chances in the long term, O’Brien said Trump is giving voice to a portion of the constituency, and fellow candidates may try to follow suit.
“Trump is doing damage to the Republican party,” O’Brien said. But, she added, “It would be a mistake to write him off as a total buffoon. He is speaking to a small, but real segment of the population.”
And because Trump’s demeanor is so bombastic, voters may see him as a voice of truth next to his more cautious and curated opponents, said Rob Brown, professor of communications at Salem State University, who has worked as a political adviser.
“He looks authentic, because if you weren’t authentic, why would you be saying these hateful, horrible, bigoted things?” he said. “He speaks what sounds like the unpleasant truth in a world of corporate apologies, political lies and scandals.”
“He’s a ringmaster,” he added, “and everyone likes a circus.”
Both O’Brien and Brown said that, while Trump may push the GOP candidates to extremes, it could also leave room for a hopeful who strays from party lines — like Ohio Gov. John Kasich — to fill the more moderate void.
“It gives them a chance also to move away from home to the center,” Brown said.
