Posted on 11/22/2015 1:17:49 PM PST by RoosterRedux
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said Sunday he is open to running for president as an independent if he concludes Republicans are not treating him "fairly."
He made his comments on ABC's "This Week" when asked about a Wall Street Journal story first published online Friday that reported an effort by Republican establishment figures to unite to knock Mr. Trump out of the race. The group plans a "guerrilla campaign" backed by secret donors to "defeat and destroy" the celebrity businessmanâs candidacy, the Journal reported.
The notion of an independent Trump bid worries some Republicans, who fear he would siphon votes from the GOP nominee and help elect a Democrat.
Asked if he would reconsider his promise not to run as an independent, Mr. Trump didn't give a direct answer.
"Well, we'll see what happens," he said. "It will be very interesting. But I'm leading every poll by a lot. It's not even a little bit anymore, it's a lot."
Asked again if he was open to an independent run, he repeated, "Well, I'm going to have to see what happens. I will see what happens. I have to be treated fairly. You know, when I did this, I said I have to be treated fairly. If I'm treated fairly, I'm fine. All I want to do is a level playing field."
Mr. Trump also said he would bring back use of waterboarding, the controversial interrogation technique that simulates drowning and that is considered torture by many. President Barack Obama barred waterboarding and other harsh techniques at the start of his presidency.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
If Cruz wins the nomination, then the election, the GOP-as-we-know-it is a dead letter. Cruz will ruthlessly re-organize it.
If Trump wins the nomination, then the election, he might also undertake such a move. However, Trump is first-and-foremost a salesman. And, underneath it all, a salesman wants to be liked. Consequently, Trump might make threatening noises then, after a brief confrontation, agree to bury the hatchet.
It's my firm belief that, not only must we displace the Democrats, we've got to remove the GOP/RNC leadership. We can count on Cruz to do that. Trump might...or he might not.
As likely as Sofia Vergara winning the Bruce Jenner lookalike contest. I wish him good luck. I hope his old lady get's her IMF job or whatever but he'll never be accepted and liked by enough of the American public to be elected President.
Depends on when teh electoral votes are counted. Usually, the new Congress does that as its first act. Thus, the new Senate would vote on the VP, with Biden presiding.
You seem to think that ‘the facts’ as you call them can only be interpreted in the way YOU choose.
Whatever the case, you don’t have anything to offer me other than doom and gloom; I haven’t heard one thing from you other than repetitive negativity since I first encountered your posts.
I’ve spoken my piece; there’s nothing you can do to convince me unless you have psychic powers, and I’m sure there’s nothing I can do to convince you without a TARDIS. Anyone who’s reading this conversation afterwards can judge for themselves.
That's what they said about Goldwater. They were right.
That's what they said, too, about Reagan. They were wrong.
I'll take my chances.
He certainly won the IQ lottery. He's alright with me, but he gives the people around me the cold chills.
I like him and I agree. He has no chance of winning the General Election. 2015 is way different than 1980 and Reagan. Our demographics have changed. Our youth has changed due to the school curriculum and entertainment/media.
I talk to my kids and others about Cruz and they don’t know anything about him until we talked and then they research him and like him. He’s getting little to no media coverage around here and the little he gets is negative.
Carson was big for them, they liked him, and knew little about him but he was pumped by the media so they got info. Plus he’s nice, and smart, and a minority (which is always good, rme).
They didn’t like Trump (because they aren’t supposed to like Trump...he’s a loudmouth, uncouth, rich, rich, rich,...only dems are allowed to be wealthy, etc. the media tells them so). They were surprised I liked Trump, lol. Why would that surprise them? Heh.I like candidates who aren’t politicians.
I told them to listen to what he’s saying and research his background and current info. He is beholden to no one, no lobby. He’s as far from perfect as every other candidate running on either side. Now they’re seeing, including my husband, that he’s a real patriot. He’s not doing this to increase his wealth or standing (he already has those things).
I remember the jabs about Reagan, he was an actor...Trump is a billionaire, and now a reality TV star...So yeah, I don’t have a problem with Trump.
So, you would allow the media to select our candidate again?
Understand that, if Cruz is nominated, the media will have to cover him!. Granted, the coverage won't be favorable -- but remember the reason they aren't covering him now. They tried to make him look bad...but, every time, he made them look bad! Accordingly, they gave up.
But, if he's the candidate, they have to cover him...and he will gain accordingly. Just like Reagan...
Moreover, some of Cruz's most ardent supporters are young people -- they naturally share Cruz's anti-establishment views.
Then, you're traveling with the wrong sort...(:^)
Kasich is a “mature” idiot.
“So, you would allow the media to select our candidate again?”
Of course not. Just like I won’t allow them to knock out Trump because he’s winning and it scares them.
Of course the media will cover Cruz once he’s got the numbers he doesn’t have now. And then they will destroy him just they like always do.
“Just like Reagan...” Um no. This is what some won’t or can’t understand. This isn’t just like Reagan and the times and demographics have changed since 1980. 35 years later.
Reagan was my first vote. I remember that time well.
ITA with all else you said.
Education and every other Institution has changed in the last 35+ years. Our society has changed.
This time, the media isn’t choosing our candidate. The RNC isn’t choosing our candidate. Right now, the frontrunner is Trump. The media and the RNC isn’t happy about that. I’m happy about that. If Cruz jumps ahead, I’ll be happy about that too.
I know who I’ll vote for in the Primary if the same Candidates are choices.
In this case, you are assuming power they don't have. And, yes, that's letting the media pick our candidate.
They've already tried to destroy Cruz. And, as I've explained, they got it shoved back up their ass. They didn't like it...so they stopped covering him.
But, if Cruz is the candidate, they'll be forced to cover him -- and he'll win again.
Cruz can deal with the media. He can actually make their bias a point in his favor. And he'll gain voters because of it.
And he will gain ground, in particular, among the youth vote (as he already has) because of his anti-establishment views.
I'm supporting Cruz, but would happily vote for Trump -- if he's the candidate. So we can respect each other's views and leave it at that.
BINGO
riiiiight!
You know there's little more entertaining than watching a tiny band of desperate FReepers heroically attempting to "save face" against all odds.
By all means...do continue!
Cruz/Trump would also win in a landslide IMHO.
According to Fox news story at the time, he agreed to the following:
"I, ________, affirm that if I do not win the 2016 Republican nomination for President of the United States I will endorse the 2016 Republican presidential nominee regardless of who it is," it reads.
The pledge continues: "I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party."
There is ZERO mention in this story of any qualifications of "fairness" or what constitutes "fairness."
Hugin and laurel or anyone else, all I can find are video clips which are too time consuming to find "news" that should reasonably be also in written/reported form, especially when it concerns a WRITTEN and signed promise. So the degree to which Trump made it clear that he only signed the pledge on the condition that the GOP "treat him fairly," is simply one FReepers word against any other FReeper's word that Trump did this -- I can find no reference to it in any of the written reports, at least ones that I consider credible, at the time. If you find a video where he is specific, then save readers/lurkers the time of watching the video and provide a transcript of what was said. It's easy to do, I've done the same with regard to video clips myself enough when using them to confirm claims of what someone said.
Better, how about links of PRINTED written words of exactly what constituted "fair" and that if they were not met, the pledge was therefore invalid? I've looked and can't find any. All I can find are references to a private meeting between Prebus and Trump before the signing.
Nor have I found reports of Trump stating at the time he signed the pledge that it was only binding if the GOP treated him "fairly," though I did find this Breitbart story at the time:
"He's been extremely fair," Trump said of the Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus who met with Trump at Trump Tower in New York Thursday. "I've wanted fairness. ... I just wanted fairness from the Republican Party," Trump said at a press conference following the meeting.
So ... WHAT promises made by Prebus, Hugin? Are they in writing? What, specifically, constitutes "fair" as per Trump's requirements? "Fair" is such a very subjective thing that certainly, a businessman such as Trump would have had it in writing before signing anything? At least, anything BINDING.
Could it be that the pledge was only as binding as Trump's word? What if Cruz wins the nomination and Trump maintains that he was treated unfairly? Where has Trump ever indicated in words or writing that he has any preference for Cruz over, say, Jeb or Rubio?
Or is Trump's word is as good as his signature on that pledge? That is, worth spit?
“You should see the Twitter stuff by the NRO anti-Trump trolls. Every day they pick anything they can dig up to attack him over.”
I am trying to determine which publication is more anti Trump. NRO, or the WSJ. Tough call.
Guy Benson is disgusting. Wouldn’t matter if Trump defeated ISIS, got the US GNP to 6% growth, and eliminated poverty, he’d find something to complain about.
Indeed.
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Thanks for your family portrait!
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