If Donald Trump ends the primary process with only a plurality of delegates, the Republican establishment will have the means to stop Trump at the convention in Cleveland in July. But there has been little evidence in the past four months, let alone the past four years, that suggests it has the will.

The latest evidence is Paul Ryan’s Sherman-esque refusal to accept a 2016 presidential nomination. In doing so, he issued a declaration that serves Trump’s interests: “If no candidate has the majority on the first ballot, I believe you should only turn to a person who has participated in the primary.”

It’s one thing to take yourself out of contention. It’s another to say that it is fundamentally unprincipled to call in a strong-armed closer from the bullpen when the starting rotation flounders.

The pressure on the delegates and the party leadership from Trump’s forces will be crushing.

Without that option, Trump will have an enormous advantage on the convention floor. He will only face opponents who ran the same race as him, yet won fewer votes and fewer delegates.

Yes, Trump is getting outmaneuvered in the state-level delegate selection processes. But to actually band the non-Trump delegates together to thwart the frontrunner will require an enormous amount of political courage and intestinal fortitude.