Somebody’s bluff was called at the Republican debate

The bad news for Donald Trump started with the first question.

On Aug. 6, in a Cleveland arena full of Republicans, he was asked: If you don’t get the nomination, would you pledge not to run a third party campaign?

“I will not make the pledge at this time,” Trump said.

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And just like that, Trump went from being the elephant in the room to being the undocumented immigrant in the room.

But then it got worse because what made Trump an instant hit was his claim that the Mexican government was deliberately sending the dregs of its society across the border and that he had proof of this.

“Why not use this first Republican presidential debate to share your proof with the American people?” moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump at the debate.

Well, we soon found out why not.

“Border patrol people that I deal with, that I talk to, they say ‘this is what’s happening’ because our leaders are stupid. Our politicians are stupid,” Trump responded.

I don’t think he has any proof.

The other thing he talks about is the all the politicians he’s bought. I suggested last week that he could blow away his opponents by naming the people on the stage he’d given money to. And sure enough …

“Most of the people on this stage, I’ve given to,” Trump said.

Hearing this, I thought, “OK, this is gonna be good!”

“I call them, they are there for me, and that’s a broken system,” he said. “I’ll tell you what, with Hillary Clinton, I said, ‘Be at my wedding,’ and she came to my wedding.”

Seriously? That’s it? I know you’re a billionaire, but if that’s what you call buying influence, you sir, have been wasting your money.