President Trump has discussed the idea of launching his own political party after leaving office, apparently not ready to forgive the GOP after some of its members voted for impeachment or abandoned their quest to object to electoral college certification.
From the Daily Caller:
Sources familiar with the matter told the WSJ that the president discussed the potential of starting a third party with close aides and associates.
The name of the party would be the “Patriot Party,” the WSJ reported. The White House had declined comment at the time the report was released, and it was unclear whether the president was serious or simply discussing the possibility as a hypothetical.
While Trump lost the support in recent weeks of some Republicans, the president still maintains an enthusiastic base of support both among voters and among many GOP lawmakers.
But what was once a unified party around Trump has begun to show cracks after the siege of the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, with ten Republicans in the House voting for Impeachment while some GOP Senators have hinted their support for that effort.
The cracks in party unity apparently have Trump thinking about launching a new party, but such efforts have historically been unsuccessful:
Other than playing the occasional spoiler, third parties have historically failed to make major waves in national elections, although Ross Perot’s Reform Party recorded almost 19% of the vote in 1992, the best showing since former President Teddy Roosevelt’s “Bull Moose” Progressive Party scored 27% in 1912.
But Trump has never let such longshot bids dissuade him, having already been mocked for declaring his candidacy for president before surprising pundits by winning the GOP nomination and defeating Hillary Clinton in the general election.
With a loyal base of support, Trump may be the person to shock critics again, this time by creating a true alternative to the current two-party monopoly.
