Trump not proceeding with new 'MAGA party' as impeachment vote delayed

Former US President Donald Trump is reportedly not moving forward with his plans to create a 'MAGA Party' because he doesn't believe that he will be impeached now that the vote has been delayed, but he could still put pressure on Republicans who oppose him with a shortlist of his own candidates for primaries.

Earlier, Trump told people that the third-party threat gives him leverage to prevent Republican senators from voting to convict him during the Senate trial next month, Daily Mail reported.

Reportedly, he had been talking to advisers about establishing a third party, which could be called the Patriot Party, or perhaps the Make America Great Again Party, borrowing from his campaign slogan.

New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman revealed in a tweet Sunday evening that: "In the last 24 hours, after floating through a few folks that he was considering creating a third-party as a way to keep Senate Rs in line ahead of impeachment, Trump has been talked out of that and is making clear to people he isn't pursuing it, per ppl familiar w his thinking."

According to Haberman, the sources also said that Trump believes that there are 'fewer votes to convict than there would have been if the vote had been held almost immediately after January 6'.

'There's also the fact that threatening a third party while simultaneously threatening primaries makes no sense, which some folks gently pointed out to him,' Haberman added.  

Since President Joe Biden took office, Trump has been ensconced at Mar-a-Lago, remaining publicly cryptic about his plans except to tell a reporter on Friday: 'We'll do something, but not just yet.'

But behind closed doors, Trump is already drafting an enemies list of Republicans who opposed his baseless claims of election fraud, instructing aids to prepare primary challenges against them, sources told the Washington Post.

The list is said to include Rep Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who broke party ranks and voted to impeach Trump over his role in the January 6 Capitol riot, Rep Tom Rice, a South Carolina Republican, is on the list for the same reason.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is also reportedly on the list after provoking Trump's fury for refusing to back his challenge to the state's election results, which were certified for Biden.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who has signaled that she is open to voting to convict Trump, is also said to be a Patriot Party primary target. Kemp and Murkowski are both up for re-election in 2022.

Trump advisers had previously said that they planned to recruit opposing primary candidates and commission polling as soon as next week in districts of targeted lawmakers.

To fund his splinter party, Trump has more than $70million in campaign cash on hand, the sources said.

Though the Trump campaign was essentially tapped out on Election Day, the campaign and several allied groups raised $207million between November 3 and November 23, fundraising on his push to challenged the election results.

The number is certainly higher by now, but hard numbers won't be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission until January 31.

Much of Trump's fate in the Senate trial will rest in the hands of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been cagey about his plans but publicly rebuked Trump after the Capitol riot, saying Trump had 'provoked' the mob.

McConnell will have to weigh the exodus of corporate donations away from the GOP in the wake of the riot, against the risk of infuriating and alienating Trump's base by voting to convict.

A vote to convict could split the party, but some see it as the only way to unify Republicans, by banishing Trump to the sidelines and removing the source of the tensest divisions.

A conviction would also allow the Senate to bar Trump from holding federal office again, insuring Republicans would be able to put forward a slate of non-Trump candidates in their 2024 presidential party.

Because conviction requires a two-third vote in the Senate, at least 16 Republicans would have to join the 50 Democrats to secure a conviction. Opening arguments in the trial will begin the week of February 8. 

Former US President Donald Trump is reportedly not moving forward with his plans to create a 'MAGA Party' because he doesn't believe that he will be impeached now that the vote has been delayed, but he could still put pressure on Republicans who oppose him with a shortlist of his own candidates for primaries.

Earlier, Trump told people that the third-party threat gives him leverage to prevent Republican senators from voting to convict him during the Senate trial next month, Daily Mail reported.

Reportedly had been talking to advisers about establishing a third party, which could be called the Patriot Party, or perhaps the Make America Great Again Party, borrowing from his campaign slogan.

New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman revealed in a tweet Sunday evening that: "In the last 24 hours, after floating through a few folks that he was considering creating a third-party as a way to keep Senate Rs in line ahead of impeachment, Trump has been talked out of that and is making clear to people he isn't pursuing it, per ppl familiar w his thinking."

According to Haberman, the sources also said that Trump believes that there are 'fewer votes to convict than there would have been if the vote had been held almost immediately after January 6'.

'There's also the fact that threatening a third party while simultaneously threatening primaries makes no sense, which some folks gently pointed out to him,' Haberman added.  

Since President Joe Biden took office, Trump has been ensconced at Mar-a-Lago, remaining publicly cryptic about his plans except to tell a reporter on Friday: 'We'll do something, but not just yet.'

But behind closed doors, Trump is already drafting an enemies list of Republicans who opposed his baseless claims of election fraud, instructing aids to prepare primary challenges against them, sources told the Washington Post.

The list is said to include Rep Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who broke party ranks and voted to impeach Trump over his role in the January 6 Capitol riot, Rep Tom Rice, a South Carolina Republican, is on the list for the same reason.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is also reportedly on the list after provoking Trump's fury for refusing to back his challenge to the state's election results, which were certified for Biden.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who has signaled that she is open to voting to convict Trump, is also said to be a Patriot Party primary target. Kemp and Murkowski are both up for re-election in 2022.

Trump advisers had previously said that they planned to recruit opposing primary candidates and commission polling as soon as next week in districts of targeted lawmakers.

To fund his splinter party, Trump has more than $70million in campaign cash on hand, the sources said.

Though the Trump campaign was essentially tapped out on Election Day, the campaign and several allied groups raised $207million between November 3 and November 23, fundraising on his push to challenged the election results.

The number is certainly higher by now, but hard numbers won't be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission until January 31.

Much of Trump's fate in the Senate trial will rest in the hands of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been cagey about his plans but publicly rebuked Trump after the Capitol riot, saying Trump had 'provoked' the mob.

McConnell will have to weigh the exodus of corporate donations away from the GOP in the wake of the riot, against the risk of infuriating and alienating Trump's base by voting to convict.

A vote to convict could split the party, but some see it as the only way to unify Republicans, by banishing Trump to the sidelines and removing the source of the tensest divisions.

A conviction would also allow the Senate to bar Trump from holding federal office again, insuring Republicans would be able to put forward a slate of non-Trump candidates in their 2024 presidential party.

Because conviction requires a two-third vote in the Senate, at least 16 Republicans would have to join the 50 Democrats to secure a conviction. Opening arguments in the trial will begin the week of February 8.