This is an opinion column.

Donald Trump is the single most authentic candidate seeking the Republican nomination for president. Like him or not, he is exactly the same person he was when he first jumped into politics in 2016. He’s about to smoke the rest of the primary field, because most of them are just pretending to be worthy of our votes.

Consistency is hard to find in politics. Most politicians have the spine of a jellyfish and are equally as malleable. They’re for what’s popular until it’s not, and then they develop acute amnesia about their past political positions.

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Trump doesn’t care. Republican politics respond to him. He doesn’t mold his perspectives to anyone or anything other than what he feels at a given moment. For all my criticisms of Trump, he’s been a bizarre political constant.

And that’s why the rest of the Republican presidential field is so unbelievably uninspiring.

Leaders lead. They don’t stick their finger in the air and try to figure out how they can glide on the blowing political winds. Why in the world would any American try to follow a presidential candidate who is simply trying to pander to them? Our leaders should indeed know what we want, but they also have a responsibility to lead us where we need to go. Politicians who simply mirror public sentiment are little more than elected opinion pollsters.

The current Republican alternatives to Trump suffer deeply from this malady.

Take Chris Christie for example. He’s throwing rhetorical fireballs at Trump now, but most voters remember when he was just another Trump lapdog. Mike Pence is calling out Trump’s election lies now, but he was far too silent while enjoying his tenure as Trump’s Vice President. Even Gov. Ron DeSantis made his political ascendancy by positioning himself as Trump’s heir-apparent. Nikki Haley benefitted from serving as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.

When it was popular and convenient, those politicians enjoyed Trump’s coattails. Now, they’re trying to capitalize on his vulnerabilities. That isn’t a good look regardless of whether they actually owe Trump any loyalty.

Every GOP presidential contender not named Donald Trump currently defines himself or herself in reference to Trump. Asa Hutchison and Christie are anti-Trump. Pence is beginning to join that chorus. The rest of the field is essentially Trump positive. Sen. Tim Scott is the closest to having a coherent, independent vision to lead America, but even he can’t get away from poll-tested Trump talking points.

There’s one front-runner in the Republican nomination for President, and I have yet to hear a robust explanation from anyone in the rest of the field as to why they’re a better option with a plan to win.

This shouldn’t be difficult.

Trump is an aging narcissist who already lost to Joe Biden. He’s only in the conversation because he lied to Republicans that he didn’t lose the 2020 election. About half the Republican party has decided they’d rather believe him than seriously consider the other candidates.

Think about how pathetic that makes the rest of the field.

If we don’t see something new from the other candidates in the Wednesday debate, most of them need to drop out of the race. I’m not a Trump acolyte, but I’m sure as hell not going to vote for a Trump cheerleader instead.

For a long time, I couldn’t understand why Trump is such a political juggernaut in GOP politics. The answer is clear: He doesn’t really care what anyone thinks. His opponents are afraid of what voters might do. He isn’t. His supporters don’t really care whether he’s a good guy. They don’t mind if he’s disloyal and dishonest.

At least he’s not a squish who tries to tiptoe around them. Trump supporters loathe even the Republican political class slithering around trying to stay in Trump’s graces.

How will the rest of the Republican field stand up to an entrenched Washington bureaucracy and Democrats when most of them aren’t even competently fighting for the Republican nomination? They’re like vultures looming around hoping the Trump train derails, so they can pick at his political bones.

No wonder conservative Republicans like me looking for a viable alternative to Trump haven’t settled on a candidate. Who gets excited about a buzzard?

Scott makes a lot of sense as a heady conservative with character, but I haven’t heard anything from him that gets me going. DeSantis is flopping all over the place with a maniacal focus on Disney. Ramaswamy has some really weird policy ideas that show his political naiveté. And if Pence talks any slower, we’re going to have to check for a pulse.

Trump isn’t the inevitable Republican nominee, but he has no interest in passing the torch to another candidate voluntarily.

This coming Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate marks the first time we’ll get to see the rest of the field engage each other on one stage. The former president has given them a serious gift by refusing to participate. It’s an opportunity for someone to seize the microphone and cast a positive vision for the Republican Party and America. It’s a chance for a conversation with the nation instead of merely reacting to the frontrunner and commenting on his legal challenges. We’ll find out this week whether we have actual alternatives to Trump or simply a weird collection of political turncoats and knockoffs.

Smith is a recovering political attorney with a house full of boys, two dogs, a bearded dragon, and an extremely patient wife. He’s a partner in a media company, a business strategy wonk, and a regular on talk radio. Please direct outrage or agreement to [email protected] or @DCameronSmith on X.