1. Trump will have more votes won
2. Trump will have more states won
3. Trump will have more pledged delegates won
Considering how insane that is, I think he just wants to hurt Trump, forcing him to postpone starting to unite the party.
In the 1976 Primary, Reagan continued fighting Ford for unpledged delegates and battled right up through the Convention even though:
1) Ford had more votes won;
2) Ford had more states won;
3) Ford had more pledged delegates won
Reagan kept fighting for unpledged delegates to put him over the top, but ultimately lost despite what some considered to be shananigans at that Convention. But the truth is that the process for selecting a nominee has always been controlled, ultimately, by the party itself as a private organization.
For a great many years, nominees were picked in the proverbial "smoke filled rooms" by the people who worked within the party and cared about its fortunes in times other than just right around elections. It was never exclusively a "popular vote" exercise, and anyone familiar with the political history of the country should know that.
If you aren't liked by the party establishment, and aren't willing to run subject those rules, then you have the choice of running as a third party or independent. That's what Teddy Roosevelt did.
I think it is becoming more and more clear that Trump should have run as an independent. It is pretty clear that a lot of his supporters don't really like the GOP as a party at all, and that was true even before this primary season. They actually detest it.
So what did they expect? Did they expect the party that they detest to simply roll over for the people who hate it? To go away meekly because "the masses" are out to destroy it? Whether they should have done that is irrelevant -- expecting them to do that is just naïve.
The 2016 presidency and the future direction of the Supreme Court was lying in the middle of the road like a shiny unattached gold piece. All the Republicans had to do was bend over, and pick it up [back Trump for the nomination].
“So what did they expect? Did they expect the party that they detest to simply roll over for the people who hate it? To go away meekly because “the masses” are out to destroy it? Whether they should have done that is irrelevant — expecting them to do that is just naïve.”
It’s not the party, it’s Ted Cruz. As I said, Cruz lost and is now trying to make Donald Trump lose the general election.
“It is pretty clear that a lot of his supporters don’t really like the GOP as a party at all, and that was true even before this primary season. They actually detest it.”
It’s republican voters who hate the Republican Party. I guess you missed the tea party, the election Eric Cantor lost, etc.