Yes it was. And if Trump is forced to go third party, I’ll desert the GOP then, too. Maybe they’ll eventually get the message, but I doubt it.
There is no message they are going to get. If the GOPe pushes him out of contention, the party is effectively over. The capital P Party, as in the GOP, and the whole party, as in the country. By the time of the next inauguration, Hillary will merely be taking the remaining meat off the bone.