Donald Trump appears to be all-in for the 2024 Presidential Election. But that will require securing the Republican Party nomination. That isn’t a shoo-in for the man, like it was in 2020. A number of possible Republican candidates might challenge him for that honor, including rising star Ron DeSantis.
What if Trump doesn’t get the nomination? Will he simply back the candidate, ensuring the GOP takes back the White House? Maybe, but maybe not. Because he recently made a move that could upend the entire race. And give the presidency to the Democrats with an easy win for old Joe Biden.
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday shared an article which argued in favor of him running as a third-party candidate if the Republican Party doesn’t nominate him in the 2024 election.
In a post to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump linked to an article in American Greatness titled “The Coming Split,” in which writer Dan Gelernter said he has “no intention of supporting a Republican Party” that doesn’t nominate the 45th president for a second term, promoting a run outside of the two-party system instead. [Source: The Post Millennial]
This is pretty bad news for the GOP. Trump didn’t make any comments, but he linked to a story where a writer argued in favor of Trump running as a third-party candidate in 2024. Trump could do this if he fails to secure the Republican nomination.
Why would that be bad? Well, he would certainly be able to win over a large number of his supporters to vote for him, even as a third-party candidate. But plenty of Republicans would refuse, opting to vote for the Republican candidate (whomever that might be).
That would result in a split among conservative voters between the two candidates. Neither would receive enough to win the election. Meanwhile, all liberal votes would go to the Democrats’ candidate (possibly Joe Biden). Democrats would easily win the election if conservatives are divided.
Trump knows this. If he was smart, he’d make it very clear that he wasn’t running as a third-party candidate. But linking to this story might mean he will consider it if he fails to win the GOP primary.
Would Trump sabotage the election, handing it over to Biden, just because he lost the primary? We can’t be sure. Trump has long alienated voters with his attacks against his own party. And his massive ego often got in the way of progress while he was in office. He might claim the election was “rigged,” souring millions from voting for the GOP.
If Trump runs as a third-party candidate, he could be ensuring the loss of the country for good.
Author: Bo Dogan