Trump’s presence complicates GOP
The first spring donor retreat after a defeat for a political party is typically a moment of reflection and renewal as officials chart a new direction forward.
But with former President Donald Trump determined to keep his grip on the Republican Party and the party’s base as adhered to him as ever, the coming together of the Republican National Committee’s top donors in South Florida this weekend is less a moment of reset and more a reminder of the continuing tensions and schisms roiling the GOP.
The same former president who last month sent the RNC a cease-and-desist letter demanding they stop using his likeness to raise money on Saturday evening served as the party’s fundraising headliner.
“A tremendous complication” was how Fred Zeidman, a veteran Republican fundraiser in Texas, described Trump’s lingering presence on the political scene.
The delicate dance between Trump and the party — after losing the House, the Senate and the White House on his watch — will manifest in some actual shuttle bus diplomacy Saturday as the party’s top donors attend a series of receptions and panels at the Four Seasons Resort before traveling to Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s private club, to hear Trump speak.
Trump’s insistence on leading the party “affects every member,” Zeidman said, as lawmakers and would-be elected officials jockey for a Trump endorsement that is as powerful in a Republican primary as it can be problematic in a general election.
“He’s already proven that he wants to have a major say or keep control of the party, and he’s already shown every sign that he’s going to primary everybody that has not been supportive of him,” Zeidman said. “He complicates everything so much.”
Among other things, Trump is considering running again in 2024. Although few of his allies believe he will follow through, his presence could have a chilling effect on other potential candidates.
“The party is still very much revolving around” Trump, said Andrea Catsimatidis, chairwoman of the Manhattan Republican Party and a donor who will be at the retreat. “He was the one who very much revived the party when we weren’t winning.”
Also inescapable is the fact that Trump has quickly built a political war chest that rivals that of the RNC. An adviser to Trump said he currently had about $85 million on hand, compared with nearly $84 million for the RNC.
“Send your donation to Save America PAC,” Trump urged supporters last month, not to “RINOS,” the derisive acronym for “Republicans in Name Only.” Trump has appeared as passionate about punishing Republicans who crossed him, especially those who supported his second impeachment, as he has about taking back the House and Senate in 2022.