As everyone is well aware, Donald Trump has always had difficulty getting the GOP to unify and rally behind a Trump presidential candidacy - not that it was a main priority of course. The divide in the party seemingly climaxed late in the GOP primary when Trump was leading by a relatively wide margin, yet the GOP establishment tried in a clumsy and desperate effort to form an alliance between Cruz and Kasich in order to stop Trump - obviously that effort failed miserably.
While it has still been a slow grind to gain support, those such as Paul Ryan have eventually made their way over to support a Trump candidacy. However, all of that difficulty that the Trump campaign has had unifying the party could change as a result of the FBI's decision not to recommend charges be brought against Hillary Clinton.
Upon learning of the news that the FBI wasn't recommending charges, Trump made a point that it was going to continue to be a topic of discussion, even if as Bloomberg notes, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said "we're moving on." Paul Ryan followed suit, saying that FBI director Jim Comey would be called to hearings on the matter, as well as making it known that "no one should be above the law."
If those in the GOP continue to join in the chorus, Trump could find this development as a way to finally unify the party and have everyone rally behind the campaign for the first time - the momentum could be huge. Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign chairman said "Running against Clinton is good on a lot of fronts. She is the epitome of the establishment and what people see as what's wrong with the country, and what they want changed. From the standpoint of our party, no one wants a third Obama term and that's what the country sees her as."
Trump will look to continue to build on the momentum by putting together an upcoming speech that will unveil new changes to his tax plan, as well as perhaps announcing his running mate next week. As former Senator Scott Brown, a surrogate for Trump points out, "The unifying person of the party may not be Donald Trump, but Hillary. While many people may not like him, they are going to vote for him, because they don't like or trust her."
As a reminder, Trump surged ahead of Clinton in the latest Rasmussen poll, a signal that Trump's push on an "us vs the elites" type of mentality appears to be working already as well.
Both Kellyanne Conway, a Trump adviser, and Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist agree that Comey's remarks would be turned into Republican television advertisements (if Trump ever decides to run any ads). "If you listen real carefully you can hear the sound of 30-second attack ads being crafted all over town. Comey gave Republicans plenty of ammunition." Manley said.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus let out what the rallying cry would be by saying "What is it about Hillary Clinton that allows her to get away with all this stuff? She's a terrific liar." Priebus also said he's confident that Trump can stay focused on Clinton, adding "There's plenty of material to focus on Hillary Clinton. And if he does that, he's going to win."
Predictably the Democrats are downplaying questions surrounding the FBI's decision, and the momentum that Trump may be able to gain from it.
"We think the matter is done. It's like many other things - Benghazi. They go after her, go after her, go after her. But It's done." Podesta said.
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How all of this will ultimately play out remains to be seen, but given that Trump has already demonstrated the ability to use Brexit to his advantage, it would be wise of the Democrats to acknowledge that this may in fact unify the GOP and create a surge of momentum heading into the fall for the Trump campaign. On the other hand, does a completely disengaged and apathetic electorate truly care about any of this? That may be the most important question of the entire campaign.
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