Karl Rove Still Won't Get Involved In The 2016 G.O.P. Primary

With his regular column in the opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal, Republican Party election strategist and President George W. Bush senior adviser Karl Rove might still be a source of sharp political strategy. But he confirmed to On Point Radio host Tom Ashbrook in a November 24, 2015 interview that both he and his super PAC, American Crossroads, will not be involved in the ongoing Republican Presidential Primary.

"The Super PAC I'm involved with will not be involved in the Republican Presidential primary," Rove said. "I'm dubious of efforts to try and 'bring down' or 'blow up' Donald Trump. Look, the 25 or 28 percent of the Republican primary electorate that are for him are not going to be dissuaded by those kinds of attacks. I think the effort would be better spent on helping somebody at the right moment consolidate the 70 or 75 percent of the electorate who are impervious to Donald Trump."

Rove also said that any Republican who now supports Trump — who he sees as not sufficiently conservative enough — and has used the term "R.I.N.O." in the past ("Republican In Name Only") has "forfeited the moral ability" to use the term in the future.