Over at that bastion of Liberalism, the National Review, David French writes that when Donald Trump says something divisive and racist, Republican leaders will not so much as give an "ahem" to express slight disapproval…
There are many GOP leaders who, quite frankly, understand that they criticize even the president's racist speech at their own peril. The grassroots have spoken. Loyalty to the president must be absolute, or one risks a primary challenge. Yet individual voters have responsibilities as well, and they must understand that extraordinary loyalty to a malicious man broadcasts their own disdain for their fellow citizens.
I still kinda think that Donald Trump's loyalty to Donald Trump is so total that there's no room in there for racism; that he says "these things" because they thrill his base and he knows that nothing good will happen to his political career if he doesn't keep that base enthusiastic. But I've given up trying to explain the difference between (a) being racist and (b) saying racist things because you want the support of racists. And I don't even think that Republicans who are up for election next year are going to be able to back away a bit from him once it's too late for a primary challenge. They're going to have to ride his train all the way to Election Day.
[UPDATE, a bit later: Since Mr. French wrote the above article, a number of Republican politicians have stepped up to denounce Trump's rhetoric. But not nearly enough and some couldn't do it without condemning Democrats even more.]