The Republican National Committee submits proposal to declare Trump its presumptive nominee

Although Nikki Haley is very much still in the race, the party is ready to call it

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published January 25, 2024 6:20PM (EST)

Republican presidential hopeful and former US President Donald Trump holds up his fist during an Election Night Party in Nashua, New Hampshire, on January 23, 2024. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Republican presidential hopeful and former US President Donald Trump holds up his fist during an Election Night Party in Nashua, New Hampshire, on January 23, 2024. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is readying a draft resolution to position Donald Trump as the party’s presumptive 2024 presidential nominee, which The Daily Beast frames as "jumping the gun" in their coverage, seeing as though Nikki Haley is showing no signs of giving up on her campaign and, at the very least, is outperforming Trump in the merch department with her new “Barred. Permanently” t-shirts.

According to The Dispatch, which obtained the draft resolution on Thursday morning, this was put into motion by David Bossie, an RNC committeeman from Maryland and close Trump ally, and if it passes — which could happen as soon as next week at the RNC winter meeting in Las Vegas — could begin a preemptive process of the national party working with the former president as though he has already won the requisite number of nominating convention delegates, which is 1,215, under current RNC rules.

“RESOLVED that the Republican National Committee hereby declares President Trump as our presumptive 2024 nominee for the office of President of the United States and from this moment forward moves into full general election mode welcoming supporters of all candidates as valued members of Team Trump 2024,” reads a key portion of the draft resolution.

Haley campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas issued a statement regarding this push, saying, “Who cares what the RNC says? “We’ll let millions of Republican voters across the country decide who should be our party’s nominee, not a bunch of Washington insiders."

Weighing in on Truth Social with his own statement regarding the draft resolution, Trump writes, "While I greatly appreciate the Republican National Committee (RNC) wanting to make me their PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE, and while they have far more votes than necessary to do it, I feel, for the sake of PARTY UNITY, that they should NOT go forward with this plan, but that I should do it the 'Old Fashioned' way, and finish the process off AT THE BALLOT BOX. Thank you to the RNC for the Respect and Devotion you have shown me! TRUMP2024." 

 

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