If Trump wins the nomination, will the GOP establishment suck it up and support him? I would say yes (albeit somewhat halfheartedly), for the following reasons:
- You can’t overestimate the power of tribal loyalties. Anyone who strays from the flock runs the risk of being excommunicated and left powerless. Very few will be willing to accept that kind of risk.
- There are important parts of Trump’s agenda with which the establishment agrees. His tax cut plan, for example, is within the GOP mainstream.
- The establishment can comfort itself with the thought that President Trump would have to surround himself in government with GOP mainstays, who would inevitably put limits on his ability to stray from the party line.
Then, when he loses, they can say they told us so, and everything will go back to normal.