12 Headlines That Capture Our National Nightmare

After Ted Cruz suspended his campaign Tuesday night following another disappointing outcome in the Indiana primary and John Kasich was expected to do the same Wednesday, it became clear that Donald Trump will most likely be the GOP's 2016 presidential nominee. No one projected Trump would make it this far when he announced his candidacy in June, so America was pretty shocked to realize he'll probably be on the ballot in November. Tuesday night's and Wednesday's headlines show the grim reality of Trump's presumptive nomination, as the media assured voters his rise isn't a nightmare they'll wake up from soon.

A lot of the Republican leadership refuses to back Trump's campaign, but Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus tweeted his support for the billionaire Tuesday night, confirming that Trump will be the nominee. Priebus wrote: ".@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton #NeverClinton."

Of course, the media jumped on the news that Cruz (and reportedly Kasich) dropped out of the primary race, paving the way for a Trump 2016 ballot. Trump-related headlines following the Indiana primary conveyed how utterly confused the nation and world are by the real estate magnate's political success so far and how strongly opposed some are to his campaign. These 12 headlines get the point across perfectly.

The Washington Post

"Nothing is on fire" is a little reassuring, but there's still time for flames to erupt.

The New York Times

It's not a good sign that Trump's own party is terrified by his presumptive nomination.

The Atlantic

"Where were you the night Donald Trump killed the Republican Party as we knew it?" wrote Molly Ball of The Atlantic. RIP the GOP.

Vox

Republicans are done with old notions of what it means to be conservative, made clear by Trump supporters.

ABC News

Trump's Indiana victory finalized his takeover of the party.

CNN

The Republican party has a tough road ahead trying to unite behind their new probable nominee.

The Daily Beast

Along with "the Republican nominee," Trump can also be referred to as "the Republican overlord."

Vanity Fair

People on team #NeverTrump (which is a fairly large team) couldn't handle the news.

The Frisky

I think it's safe to say a lot of people's first reaction was "holy sh*t."

Salon

"The nominee from hell" gets the point across quickly.

Business Insider

If you thought it looked bad, Business Insider says it's even worse than you think.

The Daily Mail

Some Republican voters took extreme measures, burning their registration cards in protest of Trump.

Trump is such an extreme candidate that his presumptive nomination drew very extreme reactions from the media and voters alike.