Donald Trump is poised to breeze through another round of primary contests this week -- while the Republican Party splinters around him.
Trump's ascent to the top of the GOP, which was capped last week with Ted Cruz's devastating loss in the Indiana primary, happened so fast that even the billionaire himself was surprised. And the whipsawed party establishment now faces immediate choices -- none of which particularly appeal to them.
Will they unite behind their party's standard-bearer? Will they sit out the 2016 campaign? Or will they fight on, in a quixotic quest to undermine Trump?
Trump's opponents are still sorting through the wreckage of the GOP primary season for a path forward. But it has become painfully clear over the past five days that party unification will be tough to come by, if it happens at all. Past presidents, party leaders and prominent Republicans are all choosing sides, from unenthusiastic acceptance (Bob Dole) to pledges not to vote for either party in November (former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Lindsey Graham) to musings about a third-party bid (Bill Kristol).
Trump himself enters his first full week as the presumptive nominee by signaling that he has limited patience for or interest in the establishment's rebellion. He'll meet Thursday with Paul Ryan, after the House speaker's extraordinary announcement to CNN's Jake Tapper that he's "just not ready" to support Trump.