Donald Trump has changed the rules of the game: Eric Cantor

Donald Trump has changed the rules of the game: Eric Cantor·CNBC

If Donald Trump reaches 1,237 delegates, he'll be the Republican nominee for the White House, despite rumblings that delegates could go rogue at the convention, former House majority leader Eric Cantor said Tuesday.

"I do not think that the party is going to change the rules and deny an individual ... the nomination. They can't," he told CNBC's " Power Lunch ."

And while he wouldn't predict whether the reality star turned presidential candidate has a real chance to become president, Cantor said one thing is clear: "Donald Trump has changed the rules of the game."

While typically only a handful of states have a real impact on the outcome of an election, the former Congressman from Virginia believes that there could be more states in play this time.

"Hillary Clinton is not a strong candidate. Clearly she is not inspiring those on the Democratic side of the aisle," he said.


What's more, Cantor pointed out that many states are shattering records for primary voter turnouts.

"These are voters who are not typically involved in primary processes. The question will be whether that will turn into an increase" in the general election, he said.

Cantor, who was voted out of office in 2014, backed Jeb Bush before Bush quit the race. He said he is currently noncommittal on a candidate and will see what the primary results bring.



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