But many in the Republican political class remain unimpressed. More than one GOP operative interviewed for this story referred to Trump as a “nut.” Just about all who discussed the birth certificate issue said the matter is unlikely to reach beyond the party’s “black helicopter” crowd, voters who they said are unlikely to accept Obama’s birth certificate as legitimate documentation.

“I’m not sure how it would play in a primary,” a D.C.-based Republican strategist said. “Unless you take Donald Trump seriously as a candidate, which I do not. I take his involvement in Wrestlemania more seriously than his involvement in politics.”