Advice for the GOP nominee

Dear Governor Romney,

Congratulations on officially wrapping up the Republican presidential nomination. So much for all the ink and electrons wasted on speculation about a contested convention.

As we’ve said previously, your record of accomplishment — in business, sports and government — makes you a worthy and formidable challenger to President Obama in November’s election. And as the first person of Mormon faith to clinch a major party nomination, you have blazed a new trail in American politics. Now for three pieces of unsolicited advice: -D-mp Trump. By scheduling a Las Vegas fundraiser with Trump on Tuesday night, you allowed the self-promoting mogul’s loony claims about President Obama’s birthplace to overshadow your milestone. Obama’s Hawaii birth certificate and announcements in the Honolulu newspapers establish beyond doubt that he was born in the USA. Every day spent discussing bizarre “birther” conspiracies is a day not spent discussing jobs and the economy.

-Name your bundlers. You know who your top fundraisers, known as “bundlers,” are. You’ve promised them special access perks. Voters should know who they are, too. True, you’re only legally required to disclose the identities of bundlers who work as federal lobbyists. But releasing the names of all bundlers has been standard practice in presidential campaigns for more than a decade. Obama has put out his fundraiser list every three months. It’s time you joined him.

-Release your tax returns. Late on Friday, April 13, you announced you’d sought an extension for your 2011 tax returns but planned to release them “sometime in the next six months.” Everybody already knows you are rich and pay a relatively low federal tax rate. Do you really want them to be reminded again in, say, mid-October? The sooner you get last year’s returns out, the better.

That’s all for now. Good luck on the campaign trail. And, don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of suggestions for your opponent, too.

Respectfully, The USA TODAY Editorial Board