Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus arrived at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan on Thursday around 1:35 p.m. for a private meeting with GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump.
On the agenda: whether Trump will sign an RNC pledge ruling out a future third-party run.
Trump has enjoyed a sustained lead in national polls, and the sit-down with Priebus comes amid unease about whether the billionaire businessman would rebuff the party and seek the White House as an independent. Though he’s expressed a strong preference for running as a Republican, Trump has yet to definitively rule out a third-party run.
RNC officials began circulating a pledge to various GOP presidential campaigns this week, measuring up how much appetite there is in the field to commit to supporting the eventual nominee.
“I, ________, affirm that if I do not win the 2016 Republican nomination for President of the United States I will endorse the 2016 Republican presidential nominee regardless of who it is,” it reads.
The pledge continues: “I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party.”
Sources familiar with the discussions said Wednesday that all signs indicate Trump will sign the paper. And advisers to the candidate have said all along that Trump was never seriously interested in launching an independent run, which is an arduous — and costly — process.
The pledge is not only putting pressure on Trump to commit to the party, it’s also forcing some of his rivals to promise to support Trump if he were to clinch the GOP nomination.
It’s a particularly uncomfortable position for a candidate like Jeb Bush, who in recent weeks has publicly clashed with Trump. The two men have released attack videos on social media, and openly criticized one another on the trail.
On ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday morning, Bush lashed out at Trump again, saying, “I think Donald Trump is trying to insult his way to the presidency and it’s not going to work.”
However, pressed on whether he would support Trump if he were to become the nominee, the former Florida governor answered in the affirmative.
“Yes, I would, of course. We need to be unified. We need to win,” Bush said.
Meanwhile, others are raising questions about just how enforceable a loyalty pledge is.
“You’re right, it’s unenforceable,” said Carly Fiorina on CNN’s “New Day.” “It is, more than anything else, your word.”