‘His new business’: Trump seeks personal political emblem while clinging to Republican base | Donald trump

Days after he was acquitted in his second impeachment lawsuit last month, Donald Trump issued a statement against one of the Republican senators who made that conviction possible.

“The Republican Party can never be respected or strong with political ‘leaders’ like Senator Mitch McConnell at the helm,” the former president said in a statement, after the Republican leader criticized for inciting a Capitol uprising Jan. 6. Trump said: “Mitch is a dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack, and if Republican elders are going to stay with him, they will never win again. “

But the shocking statement is just one of many colorful examples of how Trump has handed down his vice presidency so far: attacking a Republican who wants to criticize him while he continues continues to promote his personal political brand and his own strong grip on much of the party’s foundations. .

Such anti-Semitism and behavior could cause trouble for the Republican party, as it seeks to take control of Congress in the 2022 midterm elections by continuing to accept Trumpism as the his guiding philosophy. While party leaders have urged Trump to focus on efforts to overthrow the House and Senate, the former president appears to be more interested in taking revenge against the number of Republican politicians who supported his impeachment.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the end of the month, Trump blocked the names of all 17 Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach or condemn him and recommended that they be removed. career. “Get rid of them all,” Trump told the CPAC crowd.

Trump is already making an effort to destabilize these Republicans. The former president has vowed to help with Lisa Murkowski’s case next year, attacking the Alaskan Republican as “disobedient” after backing her conviction in the Senate. . Trump has also backed Max Miller, a former supporter who launched a major challenge against Anthony Gonzalez, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him.

Jason Miller, Trump’s top adviser, said the former president would be releasing another round of backlash in the coming days, including one for a major opponent running against an existing Republican.

“Agreements are forthcoming for people running for re-election, as well as open seats, as well as, in one case, it is likely to be a major challenge against a sitting Republican,” Miller told the Guardian. “His support remains the single largest support in politics. He intends to use that.”

Trump’s attacks on a “disloyal” Republican seem to be the latest example of the former president’s brutal view of politics and business, said Michael D’Antonio, author of the fact about Trump.

“He’s a guy who really believes in getting along even with anyone he believes has harmed him,” D’Antonio said. “It’s always about, ‘Are you with me? And if you are not with me, you are against that, and you must be destroyed. ‘”

Miller reaffirmed that Trump remains “committed” to working with party committee groups, such as the Republican National Committee (NCC), to select candidates who will support the “America First” agenda. -old president. But Trump has been adamant that anyone using a name or appearance must raise money with his prior consent before doing so.

In a fiery statement released earlier this month, the former president criticized “Rinos,” meaning “Republican in name only”, for use its appearance to raise money for their campaigns.

“I fully support the Republican party and important GOP committees, but I do not support Rinos and fools, and they should not use my appearance or image to raise money, Trump said. “So much money is being raised and completely lost by people who don’t have the best interests of the GOP.”

Instead Trump encouraged his supporters to donate to his own political action committee, the Save America Pac. According to Miller, the Bank already has more than $ 80m in the bank, with about a year and a half to go until the midterm elections.

Trump supporters will celebrate at CPAC in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 28.
Trump supporters celebrate at CPAC in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 28. Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Trump’s efforts to direct donations toward his own Pac, where he and his advisers have much more control over how money is spent, have criticized the former president’s a greater goal of raising money for itself rather than helping the Republican party regain control of Congress.

“He doesn’t want anything that will affect his ability to raise money for the Super Pac he’s created, so he wants to take so much money away from the RNC to that Pac,” he said. Michael Steele, former chairman of the RNC and a frequent critic of Trump. “This is all commercial for him.” It is not personal. This is the next level of financial transactions that Trump wants to pursue. “

Benefiting from its political brand is probably Trump’s best financial prospect at this point. Trump Group revenues fell sharply last year, and Trump is personally responsible for $ 300m in loans outstanding over the next four years, according to a New York Times study on his tax records. His financial feelings come when a Manhattan district attorney has launched an extensive investigation into the Trump Group’s business dealings.

“If you look at all the legal risks and the collapse of many of his businesses, he’s looking for a revenue stream, and the amount of dollars is not too small for him. fight for it, “D’Antonio said of Trump’s latest fundraising efforts.” I think that’s his new business. “

The RNC has continued to raise money in Trump’s name as well, and senior Republicans have generally sought to ease any tensions between the former president and party leaders, demanding that they united in their goal of pushing back against Joe Biden’s agenda. “A Republican civil war has now been postponed,” Senator Rick Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senate Committee, said in a memo that was widely shared at the end of the month.

However, when Scott met Trump at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort earlier this month, the former president would not promise to stay out of racing. Senate primary school. “He didn’t say he was going to do it,” Scott told CNN Tuesday, when asked if Trump indicated he would be involved in a primary school battle. “I’m sure he wants to be helpful, so the best thing for him to do is to get involved in whoever wins the primary and then comes back.”

Scott is one of several Republican leaders who made the trip from Washington to Palm Beach a few weeks ago to consult with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy and House minority minority whip Steve Scalise have also visited the Florida resort since Trump left the White House.

Even an infectious Republican, such as Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, has joined Mar-a-Lago to raise money and meet with Trump, with the apparent hope of getting approval from the former president and banning on any major challenges while seeking re-election.

Trump has already backed several Senate Republicans for re-election next year, including Tim Scott of South Carolina and Jerry Moran of Kansas, and Miller said the next round of U.S. reinforcements will be -president includes more Republican senators.

“Everyone is coming to Mar-a-Lago or trying to get President Trump on the phone to ask for his confirmation,” Miller said.

The widespread efforts to appeal to Trump reinforce the great influence the former president continues to hold over the Republican party, even after he resigned. But Trump and party leaders on course could be hit if the former president continues to target investors and redirect money toward his own Pac, which could be hoping for Republicans’ hopes of bringing Congress back.

“They’re going to come together because their interests don’t align,” Steele said. “Trump is not involved in expanding the party. to have a business of people who support it, and it is possible to lose people who do not support it. “

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