What Happens to #NeverTrump As Trump Marches Toward Nomination?

Congressman and #NeverTrump advisor talk Indiana primary results and the impact of Obama’s Flint visit.

J. Carlisle Larsen/WDET

The Republican presidential primary cycle is all but over. Donald Trump is now the presumptive nominee. That’s after a pivotal victory in Indiana on Tuesday which led to Trump’s major Republican rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, dropping out.

Congressman Dan Kildee, a Democrat from Flint, joined Detroit Today to talk about the results, among other things.

“If Donald Trump’s the nominee, that’s almost impossible to wrap one’s head around when I think about the impact that he could have on our nation, on the reputation of this country across the globe,” said Kildee.

Last week, host Stephen Henderson spoke with Rory Cooper — a senior advisor to the #NeverTrump PAC and a Michigan native — about the future of his movement after last week’s East Coast primaries. He said he still thought at the time that Trump could be stopped through the primary process. He joined the show again on Wednesday to answer whether that’s still true with no realistic GOP challenger left.

“Donald Trump is going to have a very hard time getting Republicans to get behind him in the general election,” Cooper says. He encourages Republicans who aren’t supporting Trump to continue to support down-ballot Republicans. 

“Republicans will need that firewall in Congress to push back against liberal nominees to the Supreme Court or the policies that we will oppose [under a Clinton presidency],” he says.

Congressman Kildee also speaks about joining President Obama during his visit to Flint on Wednesday. “Whether it’s forcing…Gov. Snyder to get serious about a real response [to the water crisis]…or pushing back against Congress for a real response…there’s nothing like the leader of the free world to call attention to an issue.” 

Click the audio link above to hear the entire conversation.

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