Donald Trump Could Be Headed For A Catastrophic General Election Defeat by Jack Mirkinson April 3, 2016 T Donald Trump could be headed towards a catastrophic general election defeat if he becomes the Republican presidential nominee, according to a host of recent polling and analysis. There were gasps on Friday when the University of Virginia’s Larry Sabato posted new projections showing that Trump could lose the Electoral College vote to Hillary Clinton 347-191. Sabato is not alone in forecasting such a wipeout. Trump is trailing both Clinton and Bernie Sanders by double digits in some national polls.