Trump jumps into a divisive battle over the Republican Party -- with a threat to start a 'MAGA Party'

[Judi Lynn]

Last edited Sun Jan 24, 2021, 04:31 AM - Edit history (2)

Josh Dawsey, Michael Scherer 8 hrs ago

PALM BEACH, Fla. —Former president Donald Trump threw himself back into politics this weekend by publicly endorsing a devoted and divisive acolyte in Arizona who has embraced his false election conspiracy theories and entertained the creation of a new "MAGA Party."



© Courtney Pedroza/for The Washington Post A supporter of President Trump holds a flag and gun outside the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix on Wednesday.

In a recorded phone call, Trump offered his “complete and total endorsement” for another term for Arizona state party chairwoman Kelli Ward, a lightning rod who has sparred with the state’s Republican governor, been condemned by the business community and overseen a recent flight in party registrations. She narrowly won reelection, by a margin of 51.5 percent to 48.5 percent, marking Trump’s first victory in a promised battle to maintain political relevance and influence after losing the 2020 election.

In recent weeks, Trump has entertained the idea of creating a third party, called the Patriot Party, and instructed his aides to prepare election challenges to lawmakers who crossed him in the final weeks in office, including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.), according to people familiar with the plans.

Multiple people in Trump’s orbit, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, say Trump has told people that the third-party threat gives him leverage to prevent Republican senators from voting to convict him during the Senate impeachment trial. Trump advisers also say they plan to recruit opposing primary candidates and commission polling next week in districts of targeted lawmakers. Trump has more than $70 million in campaign cash banked to fund his political efforts, these people say.

The prospect of a divisive battle threatens to widen a split in the Republican Party and has alarmed leaders in Washington, who have been pleading publicly to avoid any new rounds of internecine retribution. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel are among the leaders who have worked to protect politicians like Cheney, who supported Trump’s second impeachment and now faces an internal effort to remove her from her role as the third-highest-ranking member of the House Republican leadership.

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-republican-split/2021/01/23/d7dc253e-5cbc-11eb-8bcf-3877871c819d_story.html

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The entire article is also posted elsewhere, without the pay wall:

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/donald-trump-maga-party-20210124.html

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Who's going to run it? Lardass has never successfully run anything in his life. So, let him...

gives it his best shot and we take over the country.

[AZ8theist]

2. BWAHAHA!!!!!!

He has $70 Million in campaign cash???

GUARRANTEED 90% of that goes to his lawyers trying to keep him out of prison.

v

[machoneman]

5. In today's world, sadly (but good for us) that $70MM is a drop in the bucket. Heck, even basic....

..math shows that if he supports 7 upstarts, that's only $10mm per campaign. Chicken fed that would only buy a handful of TV ads, radio ads and even less door-to-door polling, if any.

A fool and his money are soon parted!

[gab13by13]

3. It's threat,

aimed at Senate Republicans so that they vote against his impeachment conviction. He is still the Don.

[lees1975]

4. Let him give it a try

and it will fail like everything else he has touched.

The GOP is about to experience genuine minority party status in a real way. Lots of them have peeled off and won't vote for trumpies, and lots of trumpies won't vote for rinos. So we are going to see Democrats in seats from places like Oklahoma and West Virginia in unprecedented numbers after 2022, thanks to Trump.