BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

GOP chair has ‘feeling’ Trump will sign pledge to get on debate stage

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Thursday that she has a “feeling” former President Trump will sign the party’s loyalty pledge if he decides to participate in next week’s primary debate.

“He’s signed the pledge before. He signed it to get on the South Carolina ballot,” McDaniel told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill.” “I have a feeling if he wants to be on the debate stage, he’s going to sign that pledge.” 

McDaniel emphasized that the RNC is calling the pledge “the Beat Biden pledge” and that whoever is on stage making their case should “support the will of the voters to do what is most important to every Republican in this country, which is beating Joe Biden.” 

“That’s the rule,” she added. “The rules are the rules.” 

The chairwoman’s comments come as Trump has yet to announce a decision on whether or not he will attend next week’s Republican primary debate in Milwaukee. However, the former president has said he will not sign the pledge, which is a requirement for being on the stage.

That dynamic has put the RNC in a difficult situation in trying to appease Trump, who is major ratings draw and the clear front-runner for the GOP nomination, while maintaining the party’s authority and treating all of the candidates equally. 

McDaniel said Thursday she has not received a definitive yes or no on whether Trump will attend next week, adding, “If he told me, he could still change his mind.” 

So far, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott have signed the pledge. Former Vice President Mike Pence has said he will also sign it.

This isn’t the first time Trump has kept the party guessing on whether he will sign the pledge. 

In August 2015, then-candidate Trump was the only candidate on stage at the first GOP debate to not raise his hand to show that he would support the eventual nominee in the 2016 primary.

During that primary, 17 Republicans competed for the nomination. Trump ended up signing a loyalty pledge in September 2015 but by March 2016 said he was no longer sticking with the pledge. By then, he was one of only three candidates running on the GOP side.

Other candidates have also bucked the pledge in the past. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) both signed the pledge when they ran in the 2016 GOP primary but did not end up supporting Trump in the general election.

2024 Election

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

66°F Sunny Feels like 66°
Wind
7 mph SW
Humidity
47%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 50F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
50°F A few clouds. Low around 50F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Wind
6 mph N
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous