Trump says he “probably” would run as an independent if he does not get the Republican nomination. Of course, he hasn’t event declared that he’s running yet but now he’s declaring that if he runs and fails, he would likely continue his bid under Independent status.
Report from WSJ:
Donald Trump will “probably” run as an independent candidate for U.S. President in 2012 if he does not receive the Republican party’s nomination, he told the Wall Street Journal in a video interview on Monday.
“I think the Republicans are very concerned that I [may] run as an independent,” Mr. Trump said. His support is highest among the conservative wing of the party, not least because he is among the so-called “birthers” who doubt that President Obama in fact was born in the U.S. “It’s a very important issue,” Mr. Trump said of demanding that President Obama show his birth certificate, which has separately been reviewed by the media and deemed legitimate. “I’m not ashamed of having raised that issue.”
“I am very conservative,” said Mr. Trump. “The concern is if I don’t win [the GOP primary] will I run as an independent, and I think the answer is probably yes.” Mr. Trump said he thought he “could possibly win as an independent,” adding, “I’m not doing it for any other reason. I like winning.”
Many pundits are pointing to a Ross Perot type repeat of 1996 when the third-party made a real dent. In this case, a Trump Independent run would most decidedly split the GOP vote handing President Obama a second term. I’m wondering how this is going to go over with Republican primary voters since I view it as somewhat of a threat.
Then again, The Donald does love to win and mounting a third-party campaign will all-but assure a loss.
