Trump Posts Article Urging Him to Ditch GOP, Run as Third-Party Candidate

If Donald Trump doesn't emerge as the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nominee, he just might try to go it alone.

On Wednesday, the former president posted an article titled, "The Coming Split" to his Truth Social account. The piece argues that if the Republican establishment opts against Trump as its 2024 nominee, then he should run as a third-party candidate.

"The Republican machine has no intention of letting us choose Trump again: He is not a uniparty team player," the article's author, Dan Gelernter, wrote. "They'd rather lose an election to the Democrats, their brothers in crime, than win with Trump."

Although Trump still enjoys widespread support among conservatives, favor for another potential contender has started to mount in recent months. Many Republicans are now rallying behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, although he has yet to formally announce an intention to run.

Trump, meanwhile, launched his own 2024 campaign back in November.

"The Coming Split" was published by the right-leaning news site American Greatness and suggests that DeSantis may wind up securing the GOP presidential nomination. However, Gelernter also acknowledges that Trump would have a tough time if he were to break free from the GOP.

"Do I think Trump can win as a third-party candidate? No. Would I vote for him as a third-party candidate? Yes. Because I'm not interested in propping up this corrupt gravy-train any longer," Gelernter wrote.

Even if third-party candidates gain support initially, they haven't historically won presidential elections—or even come that close, according to Craig Agranoff, a political analyst and professor at Florida Atlantic University.

Agranoff told Newsweek in a statement that it would "set a historic precedent" if a third-party candidate eked out enough Electoral College votes to prevent other contenders from reaching 270. However, if that did occur in this scenario, it would then "be decided in the House of Representatives, where Donald Trump would possibly be victorious."

"If Trump decides to run as an independent for the 2024 cycle, he will mainly pick-off votes from Republicans," Agranoff added. "If he can also grab some of the 'Double Haters' who respond to anti-establishment messaging, [it] could split the vote and also allow a Democrat to prevail or possibly shake up the two-party system which some are so hopeful will happen."

Following Trump's Truth Social post, some social media users urged him to go through with the split.

"Trump running as a Third Party if he does not get the Republican nomination sounds like a good plan to me. Let him do it," tweeted Marty Taylor, executive director of the progressive organization New Blue USA. "It will destroy the Republicans from winning in 2024 and ensure a Democrat win. It would also diminish the down ballot Republican candidates. Go for it Donald."

"Trump promoted an editorial suggesting that he run as a third-party candidate if the GOP doesn't nominate him in 2024," Duty to Warn, an association of anti-Trump mental health professionals, wrote in a tweet. "Run, Donald, run! Any suggestions for the name and logo of his third party?"

Newsweek reached out to Trump's office for comment.

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