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THE COVER OF this week’s New Yorker hits on exactly what Donald Trump is doing in the US Republican presidential primary: making waves.

The magazine explains that the cover illustration — titled “Belly Flop” — is a reference to Trump’s brazen style and impact on the 2016 presidential field.

“Donald Trump has entered the fray of Republican Presidential candidates with all the grace of a bully doing cannonballs and belly flops at the local swimming pool,” illustrator Barry Blitt said, according to the New Yorker.

“Trump never fails to provide hours of slack-jawed amazement.”

Though few analysts believe that he actually has a shot at clinching the nomination, the outspoken billionaire’s entry into the field has shaken up the race over the past month.

Trump is leading the Republican field in several states and is highly likely to appear in the first Republican primary debate in early August.

Despite sparking outrage for calling some Mexican immigrants “rapists” and drug-runners, Trump is starting to climb higher in the polls and become more popular with Republican primary voters.

Source: Associated Press

Why so popular?

As Politico points out, Trump’s populist, conservative message has potentially helped him siphon away supporters from more conservative candidates like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

And in a race in which New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has attempted to gain traction by promising to “tell it like it is,” Trump’s outspoken, provocative statements on hot issues from immigration to relations with China have dominated countless news cycles and generated far more attention online.

Further, Trump isn’t shying away from a loud fight with his Republican rivals.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Marco Rubio have condemned Trump for his statements about immigrants.

This has only appeared to fuel Trump’s fire — the real-estate magnate has dismissed Bush’s entire candidacy and accused Rubio of shifting his position on immigration because of weak poll numbers.

- By Maxwell Tani for Business Insider

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