(RepublicanDaily.org) – The Club For Growth, a Republican think tank that has proposed conservative economic reforms, has put distance between itself and former President Donald Trump, The New York Times reported. The nonprofit invited six presidential candidate hopefuls to its Florida retreat, but reportedly left Trump’s name off the guest list.
Donald Trump and The Club For Growth have had a “hot and cold” relationship over the years, NBC reported. At present, the club follows suit with other leading Republican influencers, the Koch brothers.
The Koch brothers’ organization Americans For Prosperity took steps to distance their organization from Trump, CNN reported. The decision by Americans For Prosperity came after years of a feud between the founding brothers and the former president. Trump publicly denounced the validity of the Koch network endorsement in 2018, calling the Koch brothers “a total joke,” CBS This Morning reported on July 31, 2018.
Trump led primary votes at 49% as of February 7, the Morning Consult reported. At that time, Trump led against primary political rival Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by 18 points.
Despite his leading popularity, Trump has had difficulty with traditional fundraising. Trump’s first 2023 official presidential bid fundraiser brought in historically low funds, following behind the first-day averages of other former presidential candidate runners, including Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton, The New York Times reported.
Trump has generated a mass cash flow from his Make America Great Again Super- PAC organization. This organization has raised roughly $54 million, Bloomberg reported.
While these funds cannot legally be used directly for campaigning, Trump reportedly intends to channel this “war chest” to political advertisements that will boost his bid.
As key Republican influencers prepare to back alternative candidates, political analysts say Trump has “turned on his own party,” The Atlantic wrote. Analysts question whether Trump will lose the presidential primary race and then, out of spite, “wreck Republican 2024” political prospects.
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