Donald Trump Teases Third Party Presidential Bid

Former President Donald Trump has piqued interest after sharing an article last week exploring the possibility of a third party presidential bid in 2024. The write-up, titled “The Coming Split” and produced by Dan Gelernter of American Greatness, was shared by Trump on his Truth Social account with no comment.

In his article, Gelernter briefly discusses the presidential election of 1912, where former president Theodore Roosevelt challenged Republican nominee, incumbent William Howard Taft and Democratic challenger Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt, a Republican known for his boisterous personality, jingoistic political nature, and resistance to party bosses, would eventually bolt from his party and mount a campaign under the Progressive label.

For Gelernter and supporters like him, a potential Trump 2024 bid is analogous to the story of 1912 and goes beyond party politics. While they may view Ron DeSantis as a preferred candidate to the Democratic nominee in a hypothetical match-up, the anger toward how they feel the Republican Party has treated Trump continues to burn hot. A Trump third party presidential effort in 2024 might mean a Republican loss, but that message presents a worthwhile risk.

“If you ask me, Trump’s presidency was much more ‘American’ than it was ‘Republican,'” writes Gelernter. “That’s why it was such a success and why so many of us loved it. Now, if the Republican Party thinks it’s not big enough for Trump, it’s not going to be big enough for me either.”

The article shared by Trump also criticizes the duopoly itself in strong words. “You could go even further and say that the two-party system, in addition to preserving systemic stability, has prevented us from having any real say in our own government, except to the smallest extent,” writes Gelernter. “The Republicans and Democrats appear like the guard rails on either side of the road they’ve decided we should all be traveling on.”

Trump is no stranger to third party politics, having initially sought the Reform Party’s presidential nomination in 2000 in a short-lived bid. However, he would likely be outside his element if required to navigate a pre-existing party’s presidential selection process assuming he chose to run outside the Republican Party. “The Reform Party was my chosen vehicle because its nomination process does not involve a long string of early primaries, but instead culminates in one national primary conducted by mail and e-mail in August,” Trump would later write about his experiences.

Not long after Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, elected in 1998 on the Reform Party line, left the party, Trump would end his first presidential campaign. In leaving, Trump cited an inability to win as a third party candidate for several reasons. Among them were the adoption of his message by other candidates, the fringe elements of the Reform Party, and an inability to access the presidential debate stage.

“The Commission on Presidential Debates, made up solely of Republicans and Democrats, produced debate criteria specifically designed to keep the Reform Party’s candidate out of the fall debates,” Trump said at the time. “I felt confident that I could sell the American people if I could get into the debate, but my lawyers told me that was unlikely.”

It’s unknown if Trump has changed his mind about running third party since his first experience. Following his initial post over the weekend, Trump has not mentioned anything further about running as a third party candidate in the 2024 election cycle.

Editorial correction: Jesse Ventura did not pursue the Reform Party presidential nomination. He was involved with recruiting Trump, whose campaign ended shortly after Ventura left the Reform Party for the Minnesota Independence Party. Roosevelt was also not the outgoing president in 1912 – JWE 1/4/23.