The Republican National Committee could move next week to declare former President Donald Trump the “presumptive 2024 nominee” for the party’s presidential nomination.
A draft resolution anointing Trump and obtained by NBC News from two sources has been circulating among RNC members, who could vote on it at their winter meeting in Las Vegas.
The resolution asserts in part that “all evidence negates the possibility of a mathematical path forward to the 2024 Republican nomination by any candidate other than President Trump, our presumptive nominee.” The document also maintains that the RNC has “impartially [supported] the caucus/primary processes nationwide to provide a level playing field” and sponsored “robust, issues-focused” debates to help GOP voters assess the field. (The resolution leaves out the fact that Trump skipped all of those debates.)
“RESOLVED that the Republican National Committee hereby declares President Trump as our presumptive 2024 nominee for the office of President of the United States and from this moment forward moves into full general election mode welcoming supporters of all candidates as valued members of Team Trump 2024,” the resolution reads.
Trump, in a Truth Social post Thursday night, urged the RNC against advancing the resolution, though he asserted it had more than enough support to pass.
“While I greatly appreciate the Republican National Committee (RNC) wanting to make me their PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE, and while they have far more votes than necessary to do it, I feel, for the sake of PARTY UNITY, that they should NOT go forward with this plan, but that I should do it the “Old Fashioned” way, and finish the process off AT THE BALLOT BOX,” Trump wrote.
Trump had called for the party to unify around his candidacy Tuesday night after his decisive victory in the New Hampshire primary. But Nikki Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations, has vowed to continue her campaign, drawing fury from him.
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has telegraphed a desire to unite around Trump if his dominance of early caucuses and primaries continues.
“If President Trump comes out strong tonight, that’s a clear message being sent by our primary voters,” McDaniel said in a statement to NBC News before the New Hampshire results came in Tuesday. “Republicans know that if we’re not united as a party behind our nominee we won’t be able to beat Biden.”
Following Trump’s victory Tuesday, McDaniel told Fox News: “I’m looking at the map and the path going forward, and I don’t see it for Nikki Haley.”
“I do think there’s a message that’s coming out from the voters, which is very clear: We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump,” she added.
Asked for comment Thursday, RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper noted that McDaniel doesn’t offer resolutions.
“Resolutions, such as this one, are brought forward by members of the RNC,” Schipper said. “This will be taken up by the Resolutions Committee, and they will decide whether to send this resolution to be voted on by the 168 RNC members at our annual meeting next week.”
News of the resolution — first reported by The Dispatch, which noted it was submitted by Maryland committee member David Bossie, a close Trump ally — quickly drew complaints from other corners of the RNC.
Bossie didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Oscar Brock, an RNC member from Tennessee, said he caught wind of the resolution Thursday afternoon and feels it “certainly violates the intent” of RNC rules around the presidential primaries.
“The rules specifically say you’re not the guy until you’ve gotten 50% plus one of the delegates required for the convention,” he said, adding, “I would think that we would be more open to letting more people have a say in this process before declaring it over.”
Bill Palatucci, a committee member from New Jersey who helped lead the super PAC that supported…
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