Donald Trump is starting to build a serious campaign. The GOP is hitting back.


In Iowa on Tuesday night, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is speaking before an expected crowd of thousands at the Grand River Center in Dubuque, Iowa, drawing audiences his GOP competitors can only dream of at this point in the race. And, Reuters reports, Trump's increasingly sophisticated campaign will be ready to sign up those fans and "gawkers" to be precinct captains, campaign organizers, and other Trump foot soldiers in the Iowa caucus.
Trump's Republican rivals and the GOP establishment are starting to consider the real estate mogul a serious threat, and they are reacting accordingly. Early presumptive frontrunner Jeb Bush is starting to hit back at Trump's barrage of insults, The New York Times reports, stepping out of his comfort zone to call Trump's proposals "unrealistic" and suggesting he read his books, even while conceding that Trump is "a serious candidate."
And as Trump is making a serious play to win primaries and caucuses in early states, some state Republican Party committees are considering new hurdles Trump would have to jump to get on the ballot, Politico says. The two states mentioned are Virginia and North Carolina, each set to vote on proposals to make all official candidates pledge to support the GOP's eventual nominee. "The procedural moves are clearly aimed at Trump, who pointedly refused to rule out a third-party run during the first GOP debate," notes Politico's Alex Isenstadt.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
France political crisis: what does Bayrou's gamble mean for Macron?
The French president could see his authority damaged beyond repair should another of his governments fail
-
A private zoo run by Asia's richest family is facing criticism and investigations
Under the radar The zoo is owned by Anant Ambani, the son of Asia's richest person
-
Sudoku medium: August 28, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play