(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) After having already reshaped and invigorated the GOP with the America First, MAGA brand, former President Donald Trump is once again making moves to possibly shake up the party.
Trump last week shared an article that speculated about him launching a third-party, 2024 presidential run to thwart establishment Republicans from sidelining his efforts to gain the party’s nomination, according to Zero Hedge.
“The Republican machine has no intention of letting us choose Trump again: He is not a uniparty team player,” wrote American Greatness columnist Dan Gelernter. “They’d rather lose an election to the Democrats, their brothers in crime, than win with Trump.”
Even with other popular Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sparking speculation about a possible 2024 presidential bid and running respectably in some polls, Gelernter argued that an alternate candidate isn’t an acceptable alternative.
“What should we do when a majority of Republicans want Trump, but the Republican Party says we can’t have him?” Gelernter asked. “Do we knuckle under and vote for Ron DeSantis because he would be vastly better than any Democrat?
“I say no, we don’t knuckle under. And I like DeSantis. I’d vote for him after Trump’s second term. But not before.”
A third-party run would be against history, which has produced a battered trail of such candidates, political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek, adding that it would “set a historic precedent” if Trump were successful.
“If Trump decides to run as an independent for the 2024 cycle, he will mainly pick-off votes from Republicans,” Agranoff said. “If he can also grab some of the ‘Double Haters’ who respond to anti-establishment messaging, [it] could split the vote and also allow a Democrat to prevail or possibly shake up the two-party system which some are so hopeful will happen.”
Trump has prevailed over doubters and haters in the past, and even with odds against him for a third-party run, Gelernter argued it would be worth his vote.
“Do I think Trump can win as a third-party candidate? No,” he wrote. “Would I vote for him as a third-party candidate? Yes. Because I’m not interested in propping up this corrupt gravy-train any longer.”
