Ladies and gentlemen, meet the ‘Half Trumpers’

Editor’s Note: Buck Sexton is a political commentator for CNN and host of “The Buck Sexton Show” on TheBlaze. He was previously a CIA counterterrorism analyst. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

For anyone who wants a Republican in the White House in 2017, the situation looks bleak.

The much-touted Trump pivot hasn’t happened yet, and even with the new shake-up at the top of his campaign operation, there’s a good chance it never will.

Reality has finally set in for many of the GOP faithful that the Donald of six months ago is, unsurprisingly, the same candidate they have today. Adding to the parade of deficiencies is the Trump campaign apparatus, which appears to believe having a serious ground game and taking out ad buys in battleground states are for chumps.

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Updated 1:45 PM EDT, Wed August 17, 2016

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Trump campaign undergoes major overhaul

03:19 - Source: CNN

Perhaps none of this will matter in the end if the party unifies behind Trump. But a rapprochement hasn’t materialized, and the hour is late. The GOP squabbling during the primary has turned into an ideological tectonic rift in the general election, with the so-called Never Trump movement of the conservative base refusing to budge, even after the party’s convention in Cleveland.

The Courtroom of the Supreme Court showing Associate Justice Antonin Scalia's Bench Chair and the Bench in front of his seat draped in black following his death on February 13, 2016.

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On the contrary, some of the Never Trump crowd, including senators, members of Congress and prominent voices within the conservative movement, have doubled down on their pledges never to vote for Trump. Some erstwhile GOP stalwarts even say they will vote for Hillary Clinton.

And now there is another dissatisfied faction emerging within the GOP that the Trump camp must contend with – one that seeks to remain loyal to the Republican Party while refusing to tie reputations to the candidate. They may vote for Trump, but they won’t officially stand for him. Let’s call them “Half Trumpers.”

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Updated 1:45 PM EDT, Wed August 17, 2016

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GOP senator facing anti-Trump heat in re-election race

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One such politician, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, made headlines this week by refusing to endorse Trump, while promising as a voter to pull the lever on his behalf. Depending on how one views Ayotte (who faces a difficult re-election battle in New Hampshire this fall) this position of personal support without public promotion is pure self-interest, a principled stand or a combination of both.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a rally at Erie Insurance Arena on Friday, August 12.

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Regardless, she is yet another symptom of a party that has not united behind its candidate, and is full of politicos who are hedging their bets for the fall.

Another prominent half-Trumper is Sen. Marco Rubio, who has said he supports the Republican nominee yet still stands behind calling Trump a “con man.” Rubio’s reluctance is obvious, and his pro-Trump sentiments unconvincing.

Like many of Trump’s former primary opponents, Rubio finds himself in the unenviable position of either bowing before a candidate who has at least temporarily gutted conservatism from atop the Republican Party, or standing idly by as Clinton becomes the next commander in chief.

President-elect Donald Trump has been in the spotlight for years. From developing real estate and producing and starring in TV shows, he became a celebrity long before winning the White House.

Trump at age 4. He was born in 1946 to Fred and Mary Trump in New York City. His father was a real estate developer.

Trump, left, in a family photo. He was the second-youngest of five children.

Trump, center, stands at attention during his senior year at the New York Military Academy in 1964.

Trump, center, wears a baseball uniform at the New York Military Academy in 1964. After he graduated from the boarding school, he went to college. He started at Fordham University before transferring and later graduating from the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania's business school.

Trump stands with Alfred Eisenpreis, New York's economic development administrator, in 1976 while they look at a sketch of a new 1,400-room renovation project of the Commodore Hotel. After graduating college in 1968, Trump worked with his father on developments in Queens and Brooklyn before purchasing or building multiple properties in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Those properties included Trump Tower in New York and Trump Plaza and multiple casinos in Atlantic City.

Trump attends an event to mark the start of construction of the New York Convention Center in 1979.

Trump wears a hard hat at the Trump Tower construction site in New York in 1980.

Trump was married to Ivana Zelnicek Trump from 1977 to 1990, when they divorced. They had three children together: Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric.

The Trump family, circa 1986.

Trump uses his personal helicopter to get around New York in 1987.

Trump stands in the atrium of the Trump Tower.

Trump attends the opening of his new Atlantic City casino, the Taj Mahal, in 1989.

Trump signs his second book, "Trump: Surviving at the Top," in 1990. Trump has published at least 16 other books, including "The Art of the Deal" and "The America We Deserve."

Trump and singer Michael Jackson pose for a photo before traveling to visit Ryan White, a young child with AIDS, in 1990.

Trump dips his second wife, Marla Maples, after the couple married in a private ceremony in New York in December 1993. The couple divorced in 1999 and had one daughter together, Tiffany.

Trump putts a golf ball in his New York office in 1998.

An advertisement for the television show "The Apprentice" hangs at Trump Tower in 2004. The show launched in January of that year. In January 2008, the show returned as "Celebrity Apprentice."

A 12-inch talking Trump doll is on display at a toy store in New York in September 2004.

Trump attends a news conference in 2005 that announced the establishment of Trump University. From 2005 until it closed in 2010, Trump University had about 10,000 people sign up for a program that promised success in real estate. Three separate lawsuits -- two class-action suits filed in California and one filed by New York's attorney general -- argued that the program was mired in fraud and deception. Trump's camp rejected the suits' claims as "baseless." And Trump has charged that the New York case against him is politically motivated.

Trump attends the U.S. Open tennis tournament with his third wife, Melania Knauss-Trump, and their son, Barron, in 2006. Trump and Knauss married in 2005.

Trump wrestles with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania in 2007. Trump has close ties with the WWE and its CEO, Vince McMahon.

For "The Apprentice," Trump was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2007.

Trump appears on the set of "The Celebrity Apprentice" with two of his children -- Donald Jr. and Ivanka -- in 2009.

Trump poses with Miss Universe contestants in 2011. Trump had been executive producer of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants since 1996.

In 2012, Trump announces his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Trump speaks in Sarasota, Florida, after accepting the Statesman of the Year Award at the Sarasota GOP dinner in August 2012. It was shortly before the Republican National Convention in nearby Tampa.

Trump appears on stage with singer Nick Jonas and television personality Giuliana Rancic during the 2013 Miss USA pageant.

In June 2015, during a speech from Trump Tower, Trump announced that he was running for President. He said he would give up "The Apprentice" to run.

Trump -- flanked by U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, left, and Ted Cruz -- speaks during a CNN debate in Miami on March 10. Trump dominated the GOP primaries and emerged as the presumptive nominee in May.

The Trump family poses for a photo in New York in April.

Trump speaks during a campaign event in Evansville, Indiana, on April 28. After Trump won the Indiana primary, his last two competitors dropped out of the GOP race.

Trump delivers a speech at the Republican National Convention in July, accepting the party's nomination for President. "I have had a truly great life in business," he said. "But now, my sole and exclusive mission is to go to work for our country -- to go to work for you. It's time to deliver a victory for the American people."

Trump faces Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the first presidential debate, which took place in Hempstead, New York, in September.

Trump apologizes in a video, posted to his Twitter account in October, for vulgar and sexually aggressive remarks he made a decade ago regarding women. "I said it, I was wrong and I apologize," Trump said, referring to lewd comments he made during a previously unaired taping of "Access Hollywood." Multiple Republican leaders rescinded their endorsements of Trump after the footage was released.

Trump walks on stage with his family after he was declared the election winner on November 9. "Ours was not a campaign, but rather, an incredible and great movement," he told his supporters in New York.

Trump is joined by his family as he is sworn in as President on January 20.

Donald Trump's rise

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What’s clear is that many Republicans don’t want to be blamed for a Trump loss, they won’t take any undue risks on his behalf, but would also like to share in the credit for a possible Trump victory. They will unenthusiastically murmur on Trump’s behalf when asked to in public. And that is all.

As Republicans attempt to straddle these lines, the Democrats seem to march in near lockstep behind their candidate, and Clinton has once again started to look inevitable.