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 Trump's staying power is defying predictions of political doom and
leading some Republicans to explore ways to persuade him not to
pursue a third-party bid should he falter in his quest for the
Republican nomination in 2016.
Trump led the party's 17-strong 2016 presidential field with the
backing of 24 percent of Republican voters, unchanged from before
Thursday's televised debate, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
His closest rival, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, trails at 12
percent, down from 17 percent before the debate. No other candidate
earned more than 8 percent in the online poll, conducted between the
end of the debate and Sunday.
Rather than chastened, Trump was emboldened by his debate
performance, despite strong criticism for boorish comments he made
about Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly when she asked about his
past derogatory comments about women.
Trump, dumped from a keynote speech Saturday night in Atlanta by the
influential conservative group RedState, tweeted on Monday he had
been assured by Fox News president Roger Ailes that the network
would treat him fairly.
"Roger Ailes just called. He is a great guy & assures me that
'Trump' will be treated fairly on @FoxNews. His word is always
good!" the New York billionaire said.
With the next debate coming up Sept. 16 in California, hosted by
CNN, some Republicans have discussed possible ways to make his
participation dependent on forswearing talk of an independent
presidential bid. Trump declined to rule out such a run in
Thursday's debate.
"Why should we give this guy, any person, 25 million eyeballs to
help his candidacy or her candidacy for an independent run?" said a
member of the Republican National Committee, referring to the 25
million people who watched the Fox debate.
Other committee members say trying to bump him from the debate could
risk serious blowback from Trump, and he could always break any
promise not to make a third-party bid.
"The best way to handle it is to let it play out," said Steve
Duprey, an RNC committee member from New Hampshire.
 FOCUS OF CONTROVERSY
Trump has been a focus of controversy since June, when he entered
the race for the Republican nomination in the November 2016
election.
Harsh comments about Mexican immigrants drew widespread condemnation
and prompted some business partners to sever ties, while his feud
with Arizona Senator John McCain, the party's 2008 presidential
nominee, has angered many party officials.
But the drama has done little so far to dent Trump's appeal among
less affluent, conservative-leaning voters who say his brash style
is needed to shake up an overly cautious political system and that
his vast wealth would help him resist corrupting influences.
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"They want someone who's an outsider, who can upset the applecart,"
said Craig Robinson, a former political director of the Iowa
Republican Party. "They're willing to deal with a less-than-perfect
candidate if they believe it will actually change things in
Washington."
Former technology executive Carly Fiorina, who drew favorable
reviews in a separate debate for lesser-known candidates, also
gained ground in the Reuters/Ipsos poll, with her support jumping
from 1 percent to 6 percent among Republicans.
The online poll of 278 self-identified Republicans has a credibility
interval of 6.7 percentage points.
Despite Trump's outsider appeal, he fared no better against
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton than other Republican
candidates. In a head-to-head match-up, Clinton would beat Trump by
43 percent to 29 percent, the poll found. Clinton would beat other
Republican candidates such as Bush, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and
Texas Senator Ted Cruz by similar margins.
The debate did little to change Republican voters' opinions of
Trump, the poll found. One-third said they liked him more after the
debate, one-third said they liked him less, and the remaining third
said their opinions had not changed.
Other candidates fared better. Voters were more likely to say the
debate had improved their opinions of Rubio, Cruz, Fiorina, retired
neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and former
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
Only Kentucky Senator Rand Paul appears to have been hurt, as 8
percent said their opinion of him improved while 22 percent said
they felt more negative.
(Editing by James Dalgleish and John Whitesides)
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