My Favorite GOP Debate Moment--I Call It "Trump Baiting"--Came Early

Trump at the GOP Presidential Primary Debate on August 6

Before the real questions began...

Bret Baier asked: Is there anyone on stage--and can I see hands--who is unwilling tonight to pledge your support to the eventual nominee of the Republican party and pledge to not run an independent campaign against that person?

Again, we're looking for you to raise your hand now--raise your hand now if you won't make that pledge tonight.

At this point, Donald Trump raised his hand.

what eye thynk:  Could Mr. Baier have been any more obvious? "Trump Baiting"...Aaannnnnd go!

Mr. Baier:  Mr. Trump to be clear, you're standing on a Republican primary debate stage.

Mr. Trump:  I fully understand.

Mr. Baier:  The place where the RNC will give the nominee the nod.

Mr. Trump:  I fully understand.

Mr. Baier:  And that experts say an independent run would almost certainly hand the race over to Democrats and likely another Clinton.  You can't say tonight that you can make that pledge?

Mr. Trump:  I cannot say.  I have to respect that person that, if it's not me, the person that wins, if I do win, and I'm leading by quite a bit, that's what I want to do.  I can totally make that pledge:  If I'm the nominee, I will pledge I will not run as an independent.  

Well, that should make everyone in GOP-land feel better.  

Mr. Trump continued:  But--and I am discussing it with everybody--but I'm, you know, talking about a lot of leverage.  We want to win, and we will win.  But I want to win as the Republican.  I want to run as the Republican nominee.

Mr. Baier:  So tonight, you cannot say that if another one of these...

Rand Paul:  This is what's wrong!

Whoa!  Where'd he come from?

Mr. Baier:  Okay.

Mr. Paul:  I mean, this is what's wrong.  He buys and sells politicians of all stripes, he's already...

Mr. Baier:  Dr. Paul...

Mr. Paul:  Hey, look, look!  He's already hedging his bet on the Clintons, Okay?  So if he doesn't run as a Republican, maybe he supports Clinton, or maybe he runs as an independent...

Mr. Baier:  Okay.

Mr. Paul:  ...but I'd say that he's already hedging his bets because he's used to buying politicians.

Mr. Trump:  Well, I've given him plenty of money.

Mr. Baier:  Just to be clear, you can't make a--we're gonna--we're going to move on.  You're not gonna make a pledge tonight?

Mr. Trump:  I will not make the pledge at this time.

Mr. Baier:  Okay.  Alright.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Rand Paul spoke for the other eight candidates on that stage, and Donald Trump did not win any friends among them with this exchange.

And does anyone else find it interesting--in the context that the Republican Party is not jumping for joy over the way Mr. Trump's divisive style has seemingly given him a big lead in GOP polling while presenting an early gift to the Democrats--that Fox's hand-picked mediators chose to begin the debate with this "pledge" question? 

To me it felt like a staged ostracism; I just don't see what the point could be. To give the other GOP candidates a green light to attack The Donald?  To attempt to show Republican voters that Trump isn't a team player?  

I can't see how that will work except in Trump's favor.  If the other candidates begin a concerted attack, I would expect those who already support Mr. Trump will simply rally the troops and dig in on Trump's side.  After all, conservatives are not known for re-thinking a decision once it has been made.  And so what if his supporters recognize that Trump is not playing on the Republican team; isn't that exactly why they're supporting him in the first place?  He's not a politician.  He's not a part of the political club.  He's independent. They love that!

I wish I had been a fly on the wall in the meeting where it was decided that prefacing the first GOP presidential primary debate with a show of hands and a "Solidarity Pledge" was a good idea.  

If they thought putting Trump on the spot would force him to denounce the idea of an independent candidacy on national TV and bring him safely under the Republican umbrella, they failed miserably.  If they thought they'd weaken the resolve of his supporters, I think they failed to understand conservative obstinacy.