It appears it is not just the bookies that see Trump's nomination as a done deal. Even the money behind the establishment is folding now as Reuters reports the mega-donor billionaire Koch brothers have said they have "no plans to get involved in the primary." This follows another mega-donor, Rupert Murdoch's call to "unify the party" as Trump tries to make peace with the "establishment."
Before Super Tuesday - as the rhetoric reached 1st grade - Murdoch (cum peacekeeper) tweeted...
Both "establishment" Republicans and Trump need to cool it and close ranks to fight real enemy. Trump, Rubio, Kasich could all win general.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) February 28, 2016
And then earlier this evening, following Trump's success, he followed up with...
As predicted, Trump reaching out to make peace with Republican "establishment". If he becomes inevitable party would be mad not to unify.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) March 2, 2016
Which, as Reuters reports, appears to have forced some to stop the denial and move forward...
The billionaire industrialist Koch brothers, the most powerful conservative mega donors in the United States, will not deploy their $400 million political arsenal to attack Republican front-runner Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential primary election, according to an official from the brother's political umbrella group.
"We have no plans to get involved in the primary," said James Davis, spokesman for Freedom Partners, the Koch brothers’ political umbrella group.
Donors and media reports have speculated since a Koch summit in January that the brothers would launch a "Trump Intervention," a strategy that would involve deploying the Koch’s vast political network to target the billionaire reality TV star in hopes of removing him from the race.
It is hardly surprising as throwing good money after bad (ask Jeb) just isn't going to change the minds of an angry electorate...