Although Donald Trump is favourite to win the Republican presidential nomination, he is a very divisive figure even within his own party, as this cartoon by Chappatte from the International New York Times shows.
COMMENTARY
The scene is a Republican party rally or debate. Donald Trump is making a speech but all around him people are fighting. 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who last week called Trump 'a phony and a fraud', is about to hit him over the head with a placard featuring the Republican elephant. A big G.O.P. sign has broken in two above Trump's head. A couple are tearing the American flag in half. Two men with placards are fighting. Another man comments, "... and he doesn't have access to the nuclear button yet." The suggestion is that Trump could unleash a nuclear war if he becomes president.
NOTES
1. The 'nuclear button' doesn't actually exist as such. The US president cannot launch a nuclear strike by just pressing a button. However, the president does have the ultimate say as to whether nuclear weapons should be used, which is what is being referred to here. This BBC article explains things in more detail.
2. G.O.P. stands for 'Grand Old Party', a traditional nickname for the Republican Party.
