The GOP pledge trap
Byron York
THE GOP PLEDGE TRAP. The Republican National Committee wanted to enforce unity among GOP presidential candidates by requiring them to sign a pledge to support whoever becomes the Republican presidential nominee. But in doing so, the RNC set a trap for itself and might soon suffer the consequences.
On June 2, the RNC announced criteria for inclusion in the first presidential debate, scheduled for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee. The requirements were in four categories. First, the candidate has to be eligible for the presidency and have declared his or her candidacy. Second, the candidate has to meet polling standards — at least 1% support in three national polls or 1% in two national polls and one early state poll, provided all the polls meet RNC standards. Third, the candidate has to meet fundraising standards — a minimum of 40,000 unique donors, including at least 200 donors in at least 20 states.
Then there was the final requirement: To be eligible to take part in the debate, having met all the above standards, a candidate must also sign “a pledge agreeing to support the eventual party nominee.”
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It is that requirement that threatens to blow up the debate process. And the candidate who can blow it up is, no surprise, former President Donald Trump. In a new interview with Newsmax, Trump said he will not sign the RNC pledge because there are multiple Republican candidates he will never support for president.
“I wouldn’t sign the pledge,” Trump told interviewer Eric Bolling. “Why would I sign a pledge? There are people on there that I wouldn’t have. … They want you to sign a pledge, but I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. … So right there, there’s a problem.”
Another candidate, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, has said he will sign the pledge, but he won’t mean it. Noting that then-candidate Trump reneged on a pledge in 2016, Christie now says, “I’ll take the pledge in 2024 just as seriously as Donald Trump took the pledge in 2016.” That appears to mean that Christie is saying he’ll promise, but it will be a lie.
Christie is, at the moment at least, an also-ran, in seventh place in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls of the GOP race. His playing a trick with the pledge wouldn’t upend the entire debate apple cart. But Trump is something else. He’s the leader by far in the national race — ahead of second-place candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) by an incredible 38 points in the RealClearPolitics average. If he will not sign the pledge, that would be a major, major problem for the RNC.
If Trump refuses to sign and the RNC bans him from debates, then the party has banished its leading candidate. If Trump refuses to sign and the RNC relents and lets him participate, then the RNC will forfeit any authority it has over the process. It’s a terrible choice.
As far as the August debate is concerned, Trump may save the RNC some trouble and essentially ban himself. He says he will announce next week whether he will attend the debate or not. Several advisers are telling him he doesn’t have much, or anything, to gain from taking part. So Trump might well skip it, and the RNC will have no problem. On the other hand, Trump likes the spotlight, so he might show up. In any event, more debates are coming, and the pledge problem will not disappear.
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