With billionaire Donald Trump still dominating the polls, the GOP’s big donors are panicking because they see their influence slipping away, New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters said Tuesday on “The Laura Ingraham Show.”

Peters counted himself among the journalists and pundits who misjudged Trump’s appeal and staying power, noting that the latest Wall Street Journal poll – which has Trump at a solid 25 percent – makes the error undeniable.

Peters former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush demonstrates the limits of political money. Aside from Trump, he pointed out, outsider candidate Ben Carson also stands far above the politician-candidates.

“A lot of these donors are scared that they are losing control of the system,” he said. “If you look at how far Jeb Bush has slipped, this is a candidate who has raised more money quicker than any Republican in history, and he’s flailing.”

Peters called it a “rude awakening” for the party’s big donors. Trump has completely upended conventional wisdom — he’s only spent $2 million and on Tuesday, word came out that he’s raised $3.5 million in small donations.

“He’s hardly spent any money,” he said. “He said he’s going to use his own, although he hasn’t quite used his own. He’s taken a lot from donations. But he’s spending far less than anyone else. He’s not advertising. He’s using television. He’s using social media. He’s breaking every rule of conventional, modern politics. And money has had nothing to do with it.”

Peters said Trump’s celebrity has helped fuel his fire.

“Because of that celebrity, he was in a unique position, a position that no one else in this race has been able to touch, to capitalize on all that unrest,” he said.

“Because of that celebrity, he was in a unique position, a position that no one else in this race has been able to touch, to capitalize on all that unrest,” he said.

Responding to reports that former President George W. Bush knocked Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at a private fundraiser, Peters said it is a sign that the GOP establishment will try to take down a candidate who has been a pesky thorn in the side of his own party leadership.

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“It’s a preview of what’s to come, to be honest with you, Laura,” he said. “If Ted Cruz continues to rise, if he becomes one of the last men standing … you are going to see the Washington establishment, the people who serve in the Senate, the Republicans who serve in the Senate with Ted Cruz, campaign against him.”