Donald Trump was the first president to try to overturn the results of an election, and he has a history of never walking away, especially when there’s a money to be made.
For Republicans, Trump’s refusal to leave the party raises uneasy questions about their future: If he loses in November, will he retain tight control over the Republican National Committee?
Trump carried out a takeover of the Republican National Committee just a few months ago, which is not unusual as party candidates often wield power over organizations during election years.
But Trump’s takeover was a little different: He helped fire the former Republican National Committee chairman for not being loyal enough, even though the chairman had dropped his real name to curry favor with Trump, and his new team promptly fired more than 60 senior staffers.
The RNC and the Democratic National Committee are critical to the long-term success of their respective political parties: They direct the flow of money to candidates, help build the base and political platforms that lead to electoral victory and long-term support, and they write and enforce the rules for selecting presidents in each state, helping to manage and control future nominating contests.
Wise party leadership also embraces a big tent approach, allowing a variety of ideologies and personalities to flourish. The height of Republican rule under Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush saw a vibrant Republican National Committee that helped reverse decades of failure at the state and national levels.
One of the key points to achieving these goals is for a losing presidential candidate (or outgoing president) to step down from party leadership and leave the party’s direction to new members. But Trump seems to be on an entirely different, and more unsettling path for Republicans. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing is the Republican National Committee being run like a family business, and not in the interest of other Republicans.
We found this out quickly after Trump was convicted in New York. Most Republicans gave Trump the respect he needed by clutching their beads and condemning the Manhattan trial. One person who did not was former Maryland governor and very popular Senate candidate Larry Hogan.
Hogan, who may be the only Republican candidate capable of winning a Senate seat in a Democratic-held state in 2024, made neutral statements about respecting the rule of law that were too much for a leader in a party that values ​​law and order. Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and Trump’s daughter-in-law, argued that Hogan “doesn’t deserve the respect” of Republicans or RNC supporters, despite being the Republican candidate in Maryland. Chris LaCivita, another RNC official and senior adviser to Donald Trump, opined, “You just finished campaigning.”
Such is the bond of loyalty in Trump’s Republican Party, and Trump’s recent reluctance to endorse Hogan for the Senate seat does nothing to change that.
What do Republicans get for this loyalty? Trump has raised a lot of money, but only because he was convicted of a felony. It’s a tough way to raise money, but with Trump facing three more criminal trials, it might pay off.
When asked how much the RNC would spend on Trump’s legal costs, Lara Trump said, “We’ll see what we need to do.” Notably, she hasn’t ruled out the idea. The only question is when and how much of the donations will go toward Trump’s legal fees. His lawyers have already lost a criminal case and Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and penalties in two civil cases.
I’m reminded of a comment made a few years ago by then-National Basketball Players Association president Patrick Ewing when explaining players’ salary demands: “We may be making a lot of money, but we’re also spending a lot of money.”
If Trump were to lose the election, is there any reason to think he would leave the Republican National Convention and allow the party to focus on improving the prospects of Republican candidates in future elections? Unfortunately, staying there gives him a lot of advantages.
He could use it as a platform to claim the 2024 election was stolen from him and pay for the drawn-out fight with donations, while allowing his family to continue to benefit from fundraising opportunities and a big salary.
But the most important reason to hold onto the Republican National Convention is what matters most to Trump: revenge and control. He believes, perhaps correctly, that from that perch he can choose the party’s next nominee if he is finally ready to surrender.
Everyone would be indebted to him – “little man” Marco Rubio, “pious” Tim Scott, “liar” Ted Cruz. In some ways, it would be better than being president. In theory, he could radically change the presidential selection process, abolish state primaries and caucuses, and essentially take control of picking the nominee. Why not? After he holds power, the powerless Republican National Committee won’t object.
But after Republican losses in 2018, 2020 and 2022, could another Trump defeat in 2024 finally embolden other GOP leaders? For years now, the RNC has had a fraught relationship with the former president, constantly fearing to anger him and risk being ousted from his chaotic inner circle.
If it would be madness to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, perhaps this time the Party can finally come to its senses and move in a new direction.
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