If Trump is dumped and millions of his supporters don't vote, many of those votes would have gone to down ballot candidates. My theory is most of them wouldn't have split their ballot and voted for Trump and a Democratic Senate or Congressional candidate. If I'm right, those down ballot Republicans are screwed either way. So perhaps there's no difference.
In the long run, I think the Republican Party is more screwed if it dumps Trump because it will have blatantly thwarted the candidate who won things fair and square. I can't stand him, sure, but he did win it against all odds. I really can't see the Dump Trump people succeeding. At least if he gets his shot and blows it they can rebuild. If they blatantly steal the nomination from him, the party will be wrecked.
Some have said this is an effort to gauge support for a Dump Trump effort at the convention. Priebus denies it. But even if he's telling the truth (and I'd say the odds are that he is) it says a lot about the state of the Republican party.
It's hard to say what will be worse for them: Trump as the nominee leading them to disaster or Trump ousted and millions of his supporters leaving the party in a huff.
Yes, the publication is called HotAir but there's more than hot air here
I doubt if this news will cause Trump to tow the line like the party officials wish him to do. It will most likely to cause him to become even more unhinged due to the perceived betraying.