The Outsider Gets an Insider to Help Trump the System

Donald Trump's lack of basic understanding of the Republican nominating system shows just how much of an outsider he is. Apparently unaware that Republicans seeking the nomination must win 1,237 delegates in the primary elections, Trump wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal crying foul play. According to Trump, the nomination system is unfairly rigged against him. But, as Reince Priebus pointed out in response to Trump, the 1,237 threshold is nothing new. Still, Trump raged about the system and warned that if he is not granted the Republican nomination, the GOP will be in for "a rough July."

In the past few days, it seems that the Donald has decided to work the system rather than complain about it. The Trump campaign hired William McGinley, a veteran Republican political attorney, to advise him on delegate battles in upcoming states. McGinley is not the typical outsider the Trump campaign usually hires. In 2012, McGinley served as counsel to the convention's rules committee and got the delegate credentials committee to swap ten Ron Paul delegates for ten Romney delegates. McGinley has also worked for the RNC as an attorney. The choice to hire McGinley suggests that Trump is realizing that hiring insiders can help play the system they created.

Although hiring McGinley will help Trump choose better delegates, it might be too little too late in terms of cinching the nomination.  Right now, Trump's chance at being the nominee is hinged on hi winning by big margins in the rest of the primaries, which is unlikely since the field has narrowed and Ted Cruz is winning primaries. In addition, since the Trump campaign was not selecting delegates previously, he could lose many of them after the first ballot at the convention.