The anti-Trump alarm goes off

THE ANTI-TRUMP ALARM GOES OFF. Around this time in 2015, some in the political commentary class had a collective realization: Donald Trump could win the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. A freakout of sorts ensued, although many remained confident that Hillary Clinton would defeat Trump in the 2016 general election. An even larger freakout occurred on the night of Nov. 8, 2016.

Now we are seeing a repeat of the events of late 2015. The Iowa caucuses are six weeks away. Trump has an overwhelming lead in national polls — 47.3 percentage points over his nearest competitor, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls. Trump's leads in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina are 29.7 points, 27 points, and 30.5 points, respectively, although the polling in those states is getting old, with the most recent polls measuring opinion about three weeks ago. But the basic fact is: Trump is far, far ahead. He is the favorite to win the GOP nomination.