News Analysis: After Wisconsin loss, Trump expected to bounce back in next round of primaries

After suffering a major loss in Wisconsin Tuesday, U.S. Republican front-runner Donald Trump is expected to bounce back for the next round of primaries, experts said.

Indeed, Trump has already started lashing out at rival Senator Ted Cruz in a bid to hit back hard and stymie Cruz's momentum.

Trump lost the state of Wisconsin this week to Cruz, who has been fighting tooth and nail in recent weeks. The race, which began with more than a dozen candidates, has whittled itself down to Cruz, Trump, and Ohio Governor John Kasich in a knock-down, drag-out fight.

"Trump has returned to his usual strategy. Following the Wisconsin loss, he attacked Cruz for using party leaders to try to steal the nomination from Trump," Brookings Institution's senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

"This helps to distract voters from Trump's own deficiencies and the wild rhetoric he has employed recently on NATO, abortion, and trade agreements. I expect him to continue to change the narrative and get the race focused on Cruz's problems, not Trump's. He has used these tactics before to great effect," West said.

Indeed, Trump will want to get the attention off some of his recent controversial comments, such as remarks that suggested women who have abortions be punished, should the procedure ever be banned in the United States.

Other remarks included suggestions that U.S. forces pull out of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), and allow them to develop nuclear weapons. Those irresponsible statements have alarmed many people in and outside of the United States.

But going forward, Trump has a number of advantages in the upcoming round of contests in the states of New York and Pennsylvania.

"The upcoming states are favorable for Trump. He has a big lead in New York and if he can win all the delegates there, that will put him back on the road to serious contention for the nomination. New York and Pennsylvania are not states that generally go for hard-right candidates like Cruz," West said.

Speaking of Trump's chances in the upcoming contests, Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, told Xinhua that Trump will do well.

"His brand of conservatism and personality will appeal in both states, whereas many voters will have trouble with Cruz's brand of Christian conservatism," Zelizer said.

Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Xinhua that Cruz had a number of factors in his favor in Wisconsin. Those included two weeks of lead time, the coordination of a number of organizations that supported Cruz and the endorsement of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

However, that dynamic is unlikely to repeat in the upcoming contests, O'Connell said.

One factor that hurt Trump in Wisconsin was his over-the-top rhetoric, which did not play well in a state known for civility. But Trump's in-your-face style is likely to play better in the states of New York and Pennsylvania, where people favor more aggressive candidates, he added. Endit