Many rumors surrounded Former President Donald Trump as he left office. One of those rumors was that Trump was planning on quitting the Republican Party to start his own party. Between the beliefs like the election was stolen and the riot at the capitol was started by Trump, it is hard to know what to believe when it comes to the Former President. One journalist/ author claims Trump backed out of the plan to start his own party because the RNC threatened to retaliate against him if he did. In the same book, they claim Trump wanted to leave in order to punish the GOP in some way. What does Trump have to say about these claims?
RNC Threatens Retaliation Against Trump
The RNC threatened to retaliate against Trump, costing him millions of dollars, according to the book “Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show” by ABC News Chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl. If Trump formed his own political party, the RNC threatened they would stop paying legal bills from challenging election results, as well as give his large email list to Republican candidates for free. Trump made money renting out the list, estimated to be worth $100 million, to other Republican Leaders. Trump changed his mind five days after the threat was made, according to Karl’s book. He also claimed RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called Trump to “wish him farewell.” Karl describes the call, which Trump’s son was also on, as “very unpleasant.”
“Donald Trump was in no mood for small talk or nostalgic goodbyes,” Karl wrote. “He got right to the point. He told her he was leaving the Republican Party and would be creating his own political party. The president’s son Donald Trump Jr. was also on the phone. The younger Trump had been relentlessly denigrating the RNC for being insufficiently loyal to Trump. In fact, at the Jan. 6 rally before the Capitol riot, the younger Trump all but declared that the old Republican Party didn’t exist anymore.” After Trump told McDaniel he was “done” with the RNC, she implored him to stay, saying if he didn’t “we will lose forever,” Karl writes. “Exactly,” Trump reportedly said. “You lose forever without me.” A source who claimed to have witnessed the conversation between Trump and McDaniel said Trump spoke as if destroying the party was punishment for the mistreatment from Republican leaders. Karl recently said on “Good Morning America,” “Trump didn’t care if the move destroyed the party that brought him to the White House.”
Did Trump Really Want to Leave the GOP
The day before Trump left office, The Wall Street Journal reported he told several aides and others associates that he wanted to start a new party called the “Patriot Party,” but he backed away from it days later. On Jan. 25, the Trump campaign filed a notice with the Federal Election Commission saying “Patriot Party” groups that had popped up were not authorized by Trump or his campaign. “It’s a totally made up and fabricated story, it’s fake news,” Trump said in a statement provided to The Hill. “Jonathan Karl is a third-rate reporter working for ABC Non-News,” the former president added. McDaniel also denied the story. “This is false, I have never threatened President Trump with anything,” McDaniel said. “He and I have a great relationship. We have worked tirelessly together to elect Republicans up and down the ballot, and will continue to do so.”
Despite rumors of mistreatment and borderline blackmail Trump is allegedly on the receiving end of, support for the former president has grown recently in the GOP. An October Pew poll found 67% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe Trump should remain a major national political figure, up from 57% in January. With support for Trump increasing, could we see Trump run for office again at some point? The Former President’s daughter-in-law, Lara, is believed to be running for senate and his son, Donald Trump Jr. is believed by many political strategists to be running in the 2024 presidential election. Would you ever consider re-electing Donald Trump, or voting for his children? People say Donald Trump wanted to leave the GOP and start his own party, a plan thwarted by the RNC. The former president says that is fake news… What do you say?
Written by: Erinn Malloy
