Electoral battles

Opinion: The new Donald Trump can beat Hillary Clinton

The making of a president 2016 has already begun.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump gave a major foreign policy address this week with all the trappings of a commander in chief — American flags in the background, dark suit with the stars-and-stripes lapel pin, white shirt, red tie, and, wonder of wonders, a teleprompter to stay on script.

Trump, who is nothing if not a good performer, mostly pulled it off, prompting MarketWatch Washington bureau chief Steve Goldstein to comment, “Squint and you can almost see Trump speaking from the Oval Office.”The makeover that began with Trump’s uncharacteristically short and concise victory speech after the New York primary is in full swing, with the aim of transforming the rowdy, rambling brawler of the primaries into a distinguished statesman capable of taking on the most powerful political office in the world.