What if Trump's grip on the GOP isn't as strong as it seems?

Trump’s media footprint is much reduced. The press is publishing fewer Trump stories, and there are fewer clicks on those stories. Data from SocialFlow shows engagement with Trump stories plummeting in March of this year and it took another jag down in August and September.

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After a foray with starting his own website went nowhere, Trump has relied on sharply worded press releases that don’t have the same news cycle-dominating impact of his tweets of his yore. His graceless slam of Colin Powell upon the former secretary of State’s death once would have blotted out the sun in the media for 12 hours or so, but created a relatively muted reaction this week.

As for Trump’s polling numbers, Republicans might tell pollsters they want him to run again as a way to stick a finger in the eye of the media or as a general statement of warm feelings toward him. Even if these findings are based on entirely forthcoming and sincere sentiments, wanting Trump to run is a threshold question that falls short of a commitment to vote for him 2 1/2 years from now.

Trump presumably will be vulnerable to electability questions in a GOP primary.

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