While Hillary Clinton is busy fighting fellow Democrats, Donald Trump has acquired enough delegates to secure the Republican Party's presidential nomination ahead of the Nov. 8 elections. What hasn't been said about Trump? First we were told he would not actually run; then they predicted he would not actually succeed; after he was already leading comfortably, they said the party's establishment would strip him of his victory at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July, which according to pundits was going to be a battle zone. How many more times will people be wrong about Trump? Let's keep playing "stump the expert," or stump the pundit rather, and find out. It was a catastrophic week from Clinton's perspective, and a great one for Trump. While the State Department's Office of the Inspector General said Clinton had violated legally-mandated record-keeping requirements through her private email system, Trump continued to accumulate delegates in a race that has become a one-man show across America -- from a band of 17 candidates, only the lead singer remains. The unconventional candidate left 16 contenders, some of them formidable, in the dust. Clinton, in contrast, cannot seem to shake off Bernie Sanders, whose weight is giving her a hunched back. While Clinton sees Trump on her right and Sanders on her left, Trump sees the inside of the White House. The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that Trump has secured 1,150 delegates, with another 88 uncommitted, who have declared their support for him. This was essentially a scoop for AP, because Trump, in fact, already has 1,238 delegates. And he only needed 1,237 to receive the nomination. Yes, this is all before his expected romps -- against himself -- in New Jersey and California, with its bundle of 172 delegates, on June 7. It's incredible. I spoke with Trump after his victory in the Nevada caucuses in February. He told me then that he would win, and that the pundits don't really understand America and what is happening there. He told me the pundits also don't truly understand the voter. Perhaps he is on to something- Remember the "Anyone but Trump" campaign? If I were Clinton, I wouldn't count on it for help. Generally speaking, she should be worried. The latest polls show the gap between the two is closing, and some even predict a Trump victory. Clinton has every reason in the world to be anxious. So then, can Trump win despite the pundits-
So the experts were wrong?
בועז ביסמוט
כיהן כעורך הראשי של "ישראל היום" מ-2017 ועד ינואר 2022. החל את דרכו העיתונאית ב-1983 בעיתון מעריב ככתב ספורט, ובתפקידי כתיבה ועריכה במדור הכלכלה. בהמשך שימש שליח מעריב בפריז. בשנים 2004-1990 היה שליח ידיעות אחרונות בפריז. ב-2008 הצטרף ל"ישראל היום", ושימש עורך חדשות החוץ ופרשן. במהלך השנים דיווח ממדינות רבות שעימן אין לישראל יחסים דיפלומטיים, ובהן איראן, סוריה, תוניסיה, לוב, תימן ועיראק. ב-1993 ביקר ברפובליקה האסלאמית של איראן, והיה לעיתונאי הישראלי הראשון שביקר במדינה מאז ההפיכה ב-1979. במהלך ביקורו בעיראק ב-2003, נעצר על ידי הכוחות האמריקניים בחשד לריגול, והוא הוחזק במעצר. כיהן כשגריר ישראל במאוריטניה בשנים 2008-2004. ב-2012 יצא ספרו "עובר כל גבול", העוסק בביקוריו במדינות מוסלמיות ובמפגשיו עם מנהיגיהן. בעל שני תוארי מוסמך מאוניברסיטת סורבון שבפריז. נשוי בשלישית ואב לארבעה. אוהד שרוף של ליברפול.