We’ve entered the part of the election cycle where new information about candidates leaks into newscasts and newspaper articles. In the political world, such revelations, which are seldom helpful to the candidates they’re about, are called “October surprises.” We’ve had a few here in Richmond, and you may have noticed them.

On the national scale, there have been rumors of a “bombshell” story about presidential candidate Donald Trump that has the potential to sink his campaign. So far, nothing has materialized. Some of the rumors aren’t fit to repeat and involve conduct that would be reprehensible for a typical politician, but on-brand for the convicted felon who also was found liable for sexual assault in 2023. Some of his supporters are locked in to the Republican candidate and seem willing to excuse the most depraved behavior and egregious conduct.

It was Trump who boasted in 2016 at a campaign stop in Iowa that the loyalty of his fans would even excuse him of a blatant violent act, if he were to commit one. “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn’t lose any voters, OK? It’s, like, incredible,” he said.

It’s incredible that our political discourse includes such crass and dangerous comments. We hope to be rid of them soon. However, we’re not hoping for a story that will shake up the campaign, as after all the former president has said, done and been accused of doing, news about his poor behavior would be no surprise to anyone.

We do, however, think his followers have a limit to their allegiance, despite his comments that suggest otherwise. We don’t think he needs to go as far as cold-blooded murder to test the faithful.

There are three words he could utter that might be his political undoing forever: “Black Lives Matter.”

Go ahead, we dare you.