“The Republican Party faces a lose-lose proposition as long as Trump is politically active,” Martin Wattenberg, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine, wrote by email in response to my inquiry. “If Trump succeeds in getting the nomination again, it would seem that his brand is so damaged among independents and some Republicans that he will be unelectable,” Wattenberg continued. “And if Trump loses his nomination fight, it seems highly likely that he will charge that he is a victim of voter fraud and damage the legitimacy of the Republican nominee.”

For the full story, please visit https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/07/opinion/trump-2024-republican-party.html.