Jennifer Upton
Donald Trump is building a political operation to lead the Republican Party from his Mar-a-Lago resort, but the former president is clashing with other Republicans as he seeks to do it entirely on his terms.
Trump’s Florida estate has become the center of gravity for the GOP, with political operatives and politicians waiting around to get a meeting with him and holding fundraisers in hopes he’ll attend. At the same time, party leaders have gone there to persuade him — so far in vain — to put winning a GOP majority in Congress in 2022 over retaliating against Republicans who opposed him.
Instead, Trump has made it clear he wants to expand his own fund-raising and political operation, cement his place as leader of the Republican Party and defeat the 10 GOP members of Congress who voted to impeach him on a charge of inciting the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. That has put him at odds with the very party leaders who want to ride his popularity back to power.
The pattern emerging is similar to the way he’s operated since entering politics in 2015: Identify enemies, encourage rivalries and raise money toward his own political goals, whether it’s good for the broader party agenda or not.
At Mar-a-Lago, Trump shows up at some of the fundraisers, like a March 5 event for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a staunch ally who faces re-election next year. Senator Mike Lee of Utah had a fundraiser there last month, and Alabama Senate candidate Lynda Blanchard, Trump’s former ambassador to Slovenia, has an event scheduled there on Saturday.
Trump, who openly muses about running for president again in 2024, has formally endorsed 10 incumbents and potential candidates and two state GOP chairmen so far, and he’s vowed to promote candidates loyal to him and his “America First” agenda. He’s also managing the many advisers in his orbit who see potential profits in a politically active Trump.
Trump adviser Jason Miller said Donald Trump Jr. is leading the effort to recruit candidates for House, Senate and governor’s races as well as challengers against the 10 pro-impeachment Republicans. He said the former president wants to avoid candidates who might turn against him in the future.
“There is a robust research and vetting process going on right now for anyone for these seats,” Miller told former Trump adviser Steve Bannon on his “War Room” podcast Wednesday. “We want to make sure that we also go through and really kick the tires on their policy positions,” he said, adding that “it’s not just that they’re the conservative candidate, but they’re the America First conservative candidate.”
Trump’s advisers have also been trying to ensure that those who get the nod aren’t just people who have the former president’s mobile phone number or reserve the Mar-a-Lago ballroom for fundraising events, said two people familiar with the matter. Trump has spent many days playing golf but also has been studying different races and talking with advisers and candidates, according to people familiar with his schedule.
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