Will Donald Trump ditch GOP in 2024? American Independent Party wants to nominate him if he runs for office
Former President Donald Trump now has options to choose from when it comes to picking the political party he wants to represent if he decides to run for the chair of the president in 2024. Apart from the Republican Party which welcomes the ex-president with open arms, the American Independent Party has stepped forward to announce that they will be open to nominating the 45th president if he seeks reelection in 2024.
AIP chairman Markham Robinson told TMZ that he and members of his party have decided that they want to nominate Trump to head up their ticket for the next presidential race, provided that the former leader was interested in having another go at the top political job and agree to run as their candidate. Robinson added that after the AIP leaders feel that Trump still had a "desire to stay in politics" as one could make out from his enthusiastic speech at the CPAC on Sunday, February 28, and that he "is the perfect guy" to lead their party.
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What is the American Independent Party?
The American Independent Party (AIP) is a far-right political party in the United States that was established in 1967. The AIP is best known for its nomination of former Democratic Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five states in the 1968 presidential election running on a segregationist "law and order" platform against Richard M. Nixon and Hubert H. Humphrey. The party split into the modern American Independent Party and the American Party in 1976.
Robinson thinks that Trump would be the right candidate for their party because they "support a limited role in government, tax cuts and are pro-life." AIP had also nominated Trump and Pence in 2016 in California — a move that was not supported by Republicans. It is the only place where the party is currently recognized on the ballot. According to Robinson, they are working on expanding their reach nationwide, hopefully in time for 2024.
Trump unlikely to leave GOP
Although the AIP is eyeing Trump's nomination in 2024, it is unlikely that Trump will leave the Republican Party anytime soon, especially since his hold among the conservatives is still very strong despite the fact that he is out of the White House.
Downplaying the civil war that has currently gripped the Republican Party, Trump pledged to remain a part of what he called “our beloved party" although he had flirted with the idea of starting his own party in the recent past. “I’m going to continue to fight right by your side. We’re not starting new parties,” he said. “We have the Republican Party. It’s going to be strong and united like never before. Wouldn't that be brilliant? Let's start a new party, let's divide our vote, so you can never win. No we're not interested in that.'"
He did, however, call out by name the 10 House Republicans and seven GOP senators who voted to impeach him for 'inciting' the Capitol riot. Among them, he singled out Rep Liz Cheney, who has faced tremendous backlash in Wyoming for saying Trump should no longer play a role in the party or headline the event. Insisting that the division was merely a spat “between a handful of Washington, DC, establishment political hacks and everybody else, all over the country,” Trump swore that he would "get rid of all" the incumbents who had dared to cross him.