Racist remarks smell of gunpowder

The violent clashes in Chicago on Friday, between supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and protestors opposed to his positions on various issues, have reinforced the "smell of gunpowder" his divisive comments have produced in the presidential election campaign in the United States.

The provocative racist rhetoric Trump has used in his campaign, such as his calling Americans of Mexican descendant "rapists", his proposal to erect a wall along the US-Mexican border and his opposition to allowing Muslims to enter the US, seem to be challenging the "political correctness" of US politicians.

It was no doubt beyond the expectations of the Republican Party that Trump would gain a leading position over the other Republican nominees. But approving Trump as the Republican candidate for president would violate traditional Republican values, while nominating another candidate would likely cause Trump to split the Republican vote as an independent candidate, and thus would make the Republican Party more likely to lose the presidential election.