Republican Nightmare: Donald Trump on the Debate Stage

“Ridiculous buffoon.” “The clown prince of the 2016 cycle.” Conservatives lash out at the real estate tycoon.

Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc., is seen on a television announcing he will seek the 2016 Republican presidential nomination at Trump Tower in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Billionaire television personality and business executive Donald Trump formally began his Republican presidential campaign today in Manhattan, saying that the United States has become "a dumping ground for other people's problems."
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

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By Sahil Kapur

June 17, 2015 at 5:12 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Republicans are worried that Donald Trump will turn their first presidential debate into an embarrassing circus for the party and top candidates.

The celebrity real estate mogul's Gatsby-esque entrance into the race on Tuesday has unleashed a torrent of anti-Trump tirades from influential Republicans, who are openly fretting that the bombastic, saber-rattling New Yorker with broad name recognition is in position to qualify for one of the 10 coveted debate slots under the rules set by Fox News.