The Donald Trump bandwagon is rolling on - and it is showing no sign of slowing

If you want to know what the Republican establishment really thinks about Donald Trump's extraordinary success, there are few better people to speak to than Michael Steele.

Until relatively recently he was the party's chairman, so he has his finger firmly on the pulse.

"They're scared to death of him", he told me after the debate in Las Vegas, "but there's nothing they can do about it".

The party knows Trump would stand little chance in a two-horse race against, as looks likely, Hillary Clinton.

They fear a whitewash that could seriously damage their credibility.

But there's some relief on offer, deep within the polls that give the billionaire such a commanding lead.

When asked "Do you think Donald Trump would make a good president?", the vast majority of American voters say "no".

Perhaps, as time passes, that's the fact that may finally derail his campaign.

As the primaries and caucuses approach, many may feel it's getting too serious for his extraordinary brand of populist politics and opt instead for a more credible candidate.

If he doesn't do well in the first key votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, the wheels may start to come off.

But then, we've been expecting that to happen for a while and there's no sign of it as yet.

As the Trump bandwagon rolls out of Las Vegas, only one thing is clear; all bets are off.