There has been much talk about the rupture, collapse, and/or abandonment of the Republican party as the result of Donald Trump’s rise. The most interesting and serious comment came from Senator Ben Sasse, who declared that if Trump becomes the GOP nominee, “conservatives will need to find a third option.” “Political parties are not families,” Sasse wrote in an open letter. “They are just tools. I was not born Republican. I chose this party, for as long as it is useful.”

The question, then, is whether Trump could make the GOP cease being useful. And the answer is: It depends.