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Just a few months ago, U.S. billionaire mogul Donald Trump was dismissed by critics on both sides of the isle when he announced his bid for Republican Party (GOP) nomination for the 2016 presidential elections. But now, opinions are split on if he can clinch the nomination.
Trump continues to dominate the crowded field of Republican candidates, in first place with 23 percent, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average.
The in-your-face candidate is far ahead of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who was once considered a shoo-in for the GOP nomination but is lagging behind in fifth place, at 8 percent.
Experts note Trump is verbally agile on camera and is always ready with a quick response and pithy soundbite, often making bold -- and frequently controversial -- statements that grab media headlines.
"I think a lot of people miss the sort of brilliance of what Trump is doing. He kind of toots his own horn. He exaggerates. It works because fact-checking him is a full time job," Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Xinhua, adding that Trump could take home the nomination.
O'Connell added that "low information voters" -- those who spend only a few minutes a month researching candidates and their policies -- "are not tuned in at all, or they're overly emotional. So he just continues to win."
"It's sort of that celebrity culture that's allowing him to get away with saying '(just) believe me' with everything," he said, referring to what is often the public's tendency toward believing stars without question.
A number of high-profile experts and personalities believe Trump can win. Among them is former President Bill Clinton. Last month, the husband of Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton labeled Trump a "master brander" in an interview with CNN.
Last week, a Rasmussen poll also found that 58 percent of GOP voters believe Trump will grab the Republican nomination.
Still, the nomination is not a done deal, and with roughly a year to go before the general elections, that leaves much room for other candidates to catch up, or for Trump's luster to fade.
Indeed, recent trends show that major shifts in a candidate's popularity can happen even within a few months. Jeb Bush just a few months ago was considered the only viable candidate for his party's nomination, but is now trailing significantly in the polls, for example.
Brookings Institution's senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that while Trump has done amazingly well in recent months, his support has dropped in most surveys and it is clear that Republican voters have cooled on him.
Trump is getting less press coverage than before and his social media mentions have dropped over the last month. These changes suggest people don't like his bombastic style and his constant attacks on others, although he still is a serious contender and is likely to be among the last three or four Republicans standing, West said.
Trump has managed to run his entire campaign on free media and has spent very little money so far.
"With press coverage starting to drop, he is going to have to start spending considerable money or start accepting contributions from other people. It is not clear how much of his own money he wants to put into a campaign," West said.
Still others believe Trump is a flash in the pan, casting much doubt on his candidacy.
A recent article in U.S. News & World Report noted that while Trump has been adept at "manipulating" low information voters, the campaign is just getting under way, and Trump's often over-the-top rhetoric has supplied rivals with much ammunition to fire back at him.
Moreover, the article said, Trump lacks a serious campaign infrastructure and on-the-ground staff across U.S. states, which are critical in the long term and for efforts to target voters.
Still, if Trump did get the nomination and faced Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, the contest for the White House would be a bloodbath, experts said.
"A Trump-Clinton match-up would be incendiary," West said. "(Trump) would attack her and the long term Clinton record and make demeaning comments about her."
However, Trump is strong on narrative but weak on details, and Clinton is much more substantive in how she thinks about public policy, he said.
"(Clinton is) much more on top of the issues than he is. A debate between the two of them would break all the records in terms of (television) viewership," West said. Enditem
