Columbia, South Carolina –
The Republican National Committee has passed a resolution to consider declaring Donald Trump the party’s “possible 2024 nominee” before he officially receives the required number of delegates, the statement said. A person familiar with the matter said this on Thursday.
News of the withdrawal comes after President Trump posted on his Truth Social site that while he appreciated the idea “very much,” he added, “For the sake of party unity, they shouldn’t go ahead with this plan, but I should.” “I feel that way,” he said immediately after posting the message. Do it the “old-fashioned” way and complete the process at the ballot box. ”
The bill would “declare President Trump as the 2024 candidate for President of the United States and, from this moment, move into full general election mode welcoming supporters from all sides,” according to a draft obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. It had been. candidates as valued members of Team Trump 2024. ”
The reversal was confirmed by a person familiar with the decision, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the proposal and spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday night.
With former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley still competing with Trump for the Republican nomination, the measure, if approved, would further solidify Trump’s control of the party and its management.
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel previously expressed support for the resolution. After Haley finished second to Trump in New Hampshire on Tuesday, McDaniel said she felt the former ambassador “ran a great campaign,” but that Republicans were “not sure who the final candidate was.” We need to unite around one Donald Trump.”
The resolution was expected to be debated at the RNC’s winter meeting in Las Vegas next week, but only two states voted and the former president is nowhere near the delegate count needed to win the nomination. It was supposed to be.
Haley’s campaign said Thursday that it is not the RNC’s authority to decide who becomes the Republican nominee.
“Who cares what the RNC says? We’re going to let millions of Republican voters across the country, not a bunch of Washington insiders, decide who should be the party’s nominee.” said campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas.
The Associated Press has a policy of not calling any candidate a “presumptive candidate” until they have garnered the necessary number of delegates to win a majority of votes at this summer’s national convention. The earliest that could happen is March.
But there were no party rules prohibiting the RNC from making such a move. If this proposal had been adopted, the Republican Party may have gained momentum in its plan to face off against Democratic President Joe Biden in the general election, who is beginning to formulate a framework for his re-election campaign centered on a rematch with President Trump in 2020. There is.
There is also precedent for a committee declaring a candidate a presumptive nominee before it has secured the 1,215 delegates needed to win the nomination. Then-RNC Chairman Reince Priebus did that to Trump in May 2016.
Despite losing both Iowa and New Hampshire races to Trump, Haley said her outperformance over other Trump rivals shows the strength of her candidacy. he claimed.
Currently, Trump has 32 delegates and Haley has 17 delegates. There is one more delegate left to be assigned after the New Hampshire election.
Former Governor Haley noted at a rally in her home state of South Carolina Wednesday night that her campaign has brought in more than $1 million since her second-place finish in New Hampshire. President Trump then made remarks that appeared to be intended to intimidate donors.
Using Haley’s nickname and an abbreviation of his slogan, “Make America Great Again,” President Trump said, “From this moment on, anyone who ‘contributes’ to Birdbrain will be permanently banned from the MAGA camp.” wrote. “We don’t want them, we won’t accept them, and we never will, because we put America first!”
Haley’s campaign announced Thursday that it had raised an additional $1.2 million “in response to President Trump’s unwavering pledge to ‘permanently lock out’ individuals who contributed to Haley’s campaign.”
“Donald Trump’s threats highlight the tough choices in this election: personal vendettas and true conservative leadership,” Haley spokeswoman Annemarie Graham-Burns said in a statement. Ta. “Mr. Trump’s conspiracy is unraveling before his eyes. Donations to Haley’s campaign are pouring in. People are tired of the drama and are rallying behind Nikki’s vision of a strong and proud America. This is proof that
President Trump’s firing of Haley’s donors had no effect on TJ Petrizzo, a former Capitol Hill official who is now a lobbyist supporting Haley.
“It’s like in the movie ‘The Godfather.’ Never betray your family? Come on,” he added. “You have to play this to the end.”
Petrizzo said he understands some Republicans may be willing to pivot to a direct showdown between Trump and Biden, but there is still a lot of time left before the general election. He pointed out that
“I heard many Republicans, including the RNC chairman, say, ‘We need to rally behind our candidate,'” Petrizzo said. “We have to go ahead and rally around Mr. Trump because Iowa and New Hampshire made their choice.” “There are 285 days until the election. There’s plenty of time.”
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Colvin reported from New York and Beaumont from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writers Steve Peoples in New York and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.