IS TRUMP GETTING TRUMPED? – AT 9:52 A.M. ET:   There's a big debate on as to whether Donald Trump is slipping in public esteem.  Trump is responding to the debate in his usual quiet, restrained, dignified manner.  From Business Insider: 

Donald Trump has two words to describe a recent spate of articles that suggested he may be losing steam in the Republican presidential primary: "dishonest reporting."

"Very dishonest and the people understand that," Trump said in a conversation with Business Insider Thursday.

Three articles published Thursday by CNN, Politico, and The Washington Post used recent polls from Quinnipiac and CNN/ORC to argue that the surge that propelled Trump to the head of the GOP pack may be ending.

The Quinnipiac poll, released Thursday, showed Trump in first place. But it also found that Republican voters said, by a 4-to-1 margin, that former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina "out-performed" Trump in the Republican presidential debate last Wednesday.

The CNN/ORC poll, released Sunday, also put Trump in the lead but found his support had dipped eight points. It also found Fiorina surging.

On Thursday morning, Politico's Kyle Cheney published a piece that pointed to the CNN/ORC poll, predictions from rival campaigns, and the widespread impression that Trump "faded a bit" during the debate. Cheney argued that the "Trump momentum shows signs of stalling."

CNN's Eric Bradner came in with a story of his own a few hours later. Bradner said the Quinnipiac poll "reinforce[d] a recent CNN/ORC poll that showed an ascendant Fiorina in the wake of her strong debate performance last week."

That story was headlined, in part, "Donald Trump lead shrinks."

COMMENT:  Some people criticize our long presidential campaigns.  I like them.  Long campaigns will eventually reveal the truth about candidates, about who they are.  I do think Trump may have reached his peak as people ask whether they want to live with that raw personality four four years.  I don't believe they do.

Trump has struck a chord with many voters because he's correctly identified areas of concern, and his approach is decidedly not that of a politician.  But his constant insults toward others, his belittling of anyone who dares disagree with him, eventually become wearing. 

September 25, 2015