comment: >
  
  This just seems like a thinly veiled threat to the Republican party that they need to support him or he will undermine them in 2024. Trump only cares about himself above all else. Everyone knows he doesn't have a chance as a third party candidate.
context: I'm pretty sure the only thing Trump knows how to do is garner attention and grift people. >
  
  I see this as a threat. If the Republicans don't nominate him he'll run as a independent and tank the Republicans. He's trying to leverage his way back into the protection of the Republicans.
  I already have a $100 bet on this exact scenario playing out with the Democrats winning the Presidency in 2024. >
  
  It is a threat.  He wants a flat playing field in the primary.  Everyone from Mitch McConnell to Kanye West wants Trump gone.  He rattles the 1950s, high road McConnell types and he goes as hard at the democratic party as they do at him.  
  When politics is as charged it was in the Trump presidency, with non stop leaks, investigations and impeachments, two party democracy is working.  The parties need to check the shit out of each other, then no one gets away with anything.  That's how I want it to be. >
  
  The republicans do nothing but vote no and give money to the rich and corporations. And Say Hunter biden or pelosi >
  
  This is like a fifth-grade understanding of the Republican Party. 
  Here’s some context: 
  In my city/county, the Democrats have raised property taxes 15% over the last year in tandem with property assessments that are ludicrously overestimated. They are now raising the sales tax 1% too, to a total of nearly 10%. These politicians are utterly fleecing residents while, at the same time, the city is grappling with a historic shortage of police officers and public employees. Our streets are in disrepair. Our community is not safe. Our school budget was cut. 
  Meanwhile, there’s been a shit load of new “consultants” hired by my city. We have a chief diversity officer reporting to the mayor. We have a chief resilience officer. We have a chief equity officer. All these people are making over 150k a year to do fuck all but campaign while my city services get worse and my taxes go up. Oh, and the council passed a statute to create a monopoly on our trash collection in order to create “efficiency.” It’s probably a total coincidence that a councilman’s family owns that business and my trash rates are ballooning. 
  Do you understand how your conclusion about Republicans giving tax breaks to the rich might not necessarily resonate with someone like me when I’m being robbed by the Democratic Party in my town?
  Edit: Reddit hivemind, I withdraw. Please encourage your politicians to consider  a 100% tax rate so that we can live in a communist utopia! >
  
  Who hell do you think cut the education system? I’ll give you three guesses…. >
  
  Oh, I can answer this! The Democrats. The cut came this fiscal year. Last I checked, Republicans do not have a majority on the city council or school board here. 
  Was that the answer you were looking for? >
  
  The cut to education has been happening since the bush administration but you can try again
  Like you really that this current year’s cut has made an impact on the decline on our education system that we’ve been seeing for 20 years? >
  
  It's mostly attention seeking, and partly a threat to the GOP. 
  If Trump wants to make a serious run as a third party candidate in 2024, there are moves he needs to be making now-- recruiting staff and volunteers, then taking over one of the existing third party organizations or collecting thousands of signatures in each state where he wants to get on the ballot. 
  It doesn't look like Trump is working on any of those third party prep steps. >
  
  I think he still believes he can win the GOP nomination.  He knows he has no path to victory as a third-party candidate, so he is not looking for it as a first option.  But if Trump loses the GOP nomination, he is petty enough to play the spoiler candidate.
  Running as a third-party candidate would also keep his campaign going as long as possible.  That would mean additional millions in campaign contributions and/or money laundering. >
  
  
  I think he still believes he can win the GOP nomination.
  
  He doesn't really have any reason to believe that he won't, everybody hated him last time and then everybody fell in line one after another. >
  
  Trump controls the rural votes.  I still see pickup trucks driving around with Trump flags.  Haven’t seen a single pickup truck with a Desantos flag.  I still read interviews from rural town folk who are still buying what Trump rallies are selling. >
  
  Trump's problem wasn't a lack of Republican love, it's that everybody who isn't a Republican despises him and turns out to vote against him. >
  
  That presents no issues to winning the Republican primary's in which he only has to win over the Republican base. >
  
  Very true, I got sidetracked. >
  
  There are several factors at play:
  - Trump needs the attention
  - He hates losing 
  - He makes lots of money grifting and the longer he stays in the game the longer he can milk money from supporters
  - He has never cared about the GOP or anyone other than himself
  - It is increasingly likely that the winning the Presidency is the only way he will keep himself out of jail
  On the last point, I can envision a scenario where he uses the threat of a third party run as a bargaining chip for a promise of a pardon. This is the only scenario where I cannot see him running as a third party candidate because it is the only scenario where he would benefit from not running. >
  
  Honestly I think the pardon plan would never work out, partly because it's unenforceable, partly because he would view it as an act of submission. >
  
  If he did run third party, it would be the 3rd time he switched political parties. He was a registered democrat first, then an independent, and then a Republican. He goes wherever he feels is most advantageous for him. His only loyalty is to himself. >
  
  He was also a member of the reform party for a couple years. >
  
  He could be the Green Party candidate, they're already puppets for the Russians. He'd jump claim the "green" stands for money... >
  
  Green Party are Russian puppets? Haven’t heard that one before. Anything to back it up? >
  
  Russians launched pro-Jill Stein social media blitz to help Trump win election, reports say
  That infamous Moscow dinner where Michael Flynn and Jill Stein sat with Putin
  Russian Environmentalists Brand U.S. Green Party Putin 'Accomplices' >
  
  The green party aren't beholden to the Russians though. The Russian state does this a lot, they promote dissident groups in adversarial countries independent of that groups stance on any specific issues or ideology. The point is to pour gasoline on the adversary's house and hope that if someone strikes a match in will burn. >
  
  Yes, Jill Stein simply sat down to dinner and was completely surprised to discover that her dining partner was Vladimir Putin! I just hate it when that happens! >
  
  Sitting and having dinner with a foreign leader doesn't mean they are beholden to Putin. Tons of politicians have had dinner with Putin because that's how you develop foreign policy and build rapport so that diplomacy can happen later. Now, if that dinner consists of Putin saying "I'm going to give you money and support and a social media blitz, and you are going to make sure that these particular policies are passed, and you're not going to tell anybody about it" or whatever... then we have a problem. >
  
  Republicans cheered as Trump tore down every institution and guiderail our country had. As long as he was hurting Democrats, they were all for it. 
  Enjoy your monster, Dr. Frankenstein. He’s coming for you now. >
  
  If Trump really did run as a 3rd party candidate, I can only imagine how the electoral college would shake out for whoever the Democratic candidate is (assuming it's Biden). That sure would be something. >
  
  Honestly, if Trump’s base doesn’t consistently vote Republican down ballot, he could hand Democrats pretty significant congressional majorities by running third party. >
  
  I think Trump running independent would really only impact the presidency, unless there were a wave of MAGA type politicians who took their que from him and also decided to run independent after losing the Republican primary. 
  Otherwise, I'm not sure why Trump voters wouldn't just vote R down ballot outside of chosing him for President. >
  
  My thought is that if Trump spends months prior to the election railing on Republicans for icing him out and being corrupt, his most loyal base may just not vote down ballot. >
  
  Ah, I see what you are saying. >
  
  
  is Trump saying he is willing to actually run as a 3rd Party candidate or is this just attention seeking?
  
  In my opinion, he is not bluffing. Trump is facing some very serious allegations that likely rise to the level of criminality, and one surefire way to avoid those allegations? Be POTUS. He has huge motivation to try and be the nominee. It is the only way Trump can shield himself from the law.
  Also given his history of narcissism and surrounding himself with "yes" men, it's totally unsurprising to me he would consider this.
  And as disgusting as it is, I believe Republicans will likely realize there are two outcomes for 2024:
  
  Nominate someone else. Trump runs third party, utterly destroying their chances at securing the presidency. Even losing 2 to 3 percent of the Republican vote dooms their chances in a number of hotly contested battleground states.
  Nominate Trump. They have a poor chance of securing the presidency, but they still have a chance.
  
  Republicans can do the math, and I believe ultimately they'll do #2 despite many of them not wanting to bite into that shit sandwich a second time.
  Honestly, the best Republican strategy right now would be to encourage and expedite the criminal investigations against Trump in hopes he can quickly be disbarred from holding office.  I seriously doubt Republicans will do this, however.  I think it is more likely they'll hold their noses and double down on Trump.
  Absent him being disbarred from office or a bunch of die-hard MAGA peeps having a change of heart, I don't see how Trump isn't their nominee in 2024. >
  
  
  Honestly, the best Republican strategy right now would be to encourage and expedite the criminal investigations against Trump in hopes he can quickly be disbarred from holding office
  
  Absolutely this. And the Murdoch media empire (FOX, Wall Street Journal, NY Post, etc.) has already begun turning pretty hard against Trump. Reasonable people should hope Murdoch is unsuccessful. >
  
  Unfortunately for Murdoch, Trump's most rabid supporters, those who would absolutely back him as an independent, have already eschewed mainstream news in favor of online underground fascist radicalization chambers. They'd vote for him if Republicans reject him, or if he's in a jail cell. Pretty much their only hope without nominating Trump is to ensure he's convicted of a crime that prevents running as a candidate. (Even then they might still write him in...) >
  
  He’s simply trying to maximize leverage. This election he’ll likely make a deal. >
  
  Well, it goes without saying that he's an attention whore. The question becomes, does he rise to the level of malignancy that he would take out his whole team? >
  
  Absolutely.  Donald Trump’s “team” consists of one person—Donald Trump.  He doesn’t care about the Republican Party or anything else outside of himself.  He may be the most narcissistic person who ever lived. >
  
  Tears of joy if he takes out the repubs.... >
  
  Trump has already run as a Third Party Canidate in 2000 for the Reform Party. So I don't think his threats are empty he has a base. But this is more a threat to the establishment Rep party. Saying fall in line or I will end you. I think people are once again underestimating Trump and if he loses the Primary calls it rigged by McConnell and runs third Party as the "Truth" Party. Might do what he did last cycle and have his loyalist run against more established Rep for house and Senate seats as well. >
  
  Yeah, I think Trump will run for the GOP, and if he cannot win that, he will switch over to a third party to spoil The GOP. >
  
  Can we convince either Clinton or Obama to make a video saying this is a bad idea? >
  
  Or just Key and Peele >
  
  He's not gonna run third party. He is trying to bully the GOP into getting his potential primary opponents to stay out of the race. >
  
  This is the answer. He has no intention of running third party. He just wants the GOP money, and he's hoping the GOP are a bunch reactionary idiots...he may be on to something. >
  
  Trump isn't saying anything. He is just floating a trial balloon so his voting base can tell him what to think >
  
  He is grifting. I think that he is pretty much extorting the Republican party. They may have to pay this dude to go away. >
  
  Problem is, what he wants, the Republicans can't give him.
  Even if they want to make some kind of dark bargain promising him a Presidential pardon if DeSantis wins - that's nice. They still cannot offer him a get-out-of-jail-free card for Georgia, New York, Washington DC and whatever other states want to join the party. >
  
  right now it's an attention grab, but that isn't to say it excludes a future 3rd party run.  
  one thing to always keep in mind is how fluid the Trump situation is.  just because something isn't now, doesn't mean it can never be.  and just because something already happened, that doesn't mean it did.  one of the hallmarks of gifted conmen is that they can roll with any given situation and still come out ahead.  
  is this significant now? no.  could he potentially run in the future as a 3rd party? yes. >
  
  The title suggests that for Donald Trump there is a difference between attention seeking and any other action. I suggest there is not. >
  
  Trump perpetually running 3rd party in all future Presidential elections he is alive for just to spite Republicans would be so funny. But also a bit scary cause you know he would inspire his cultists to commit acts of violence during every election he runs. >
  
  
  Is there a chance that if Trump for some reason does not get a nomination that he may actually decide to run as a third-party candidate?
  
  Of course. If he runs and loses, he will absolutely run third-party (most likely as a write-in candidate) in order to punish the Republican party for (in his mind) betraying him.
  It's likely that he will even run from his prison cell - again, to punish the Republican party for letting him get convicted in the first place.
  Complaining that doing that would sabotage the Republican party is silly. That's the entire point of him doing it. >
  
  He is as vindictive and vengeful as they come.  I think that’s exactly what will happen.  The GOP know they can’t win with him.  They’ll pick a Desantis, that will chap Dons ass and he will run as an independent.  Personally, if he wants to split the GOP vote im totally on board with that.  Maybe that will be the absolute red line in the sand for them and they’ll start working to oust or minimize MAGATS. >
  
  Trump might just be egotistical and stupid enough to do it. If he does it will be a Godsend for the Democrats, all but ensuring their victory by splitting the Republican vote. >
  
  Your options are not mutually exclusive by any means. 
  Trump is both seeking attention and trying to blackmail the GOP.  Whatever the results he wins. Except if he goes to prison for the rest of his life.  
  Whatever happens the Republicans will lose. >
  
  It'd be funny if democracy in the U.S. was saved because the alt-right suddenly couldn't stop playing Roshambo with each other and you guys end up with a multi-party system after all. >
  
  Trump doesn't have any loyalty to anyone. You bet your ass hell push the Republican Party into oncoming traffic if it means getting the spotlight back on him again. >
  
  Trump is just reminding the Party what's at stake if they actually flirt with supporting DeSantis. Trump has a strong core base that would leave the party if Trump recommended it. 
  As if the Republican party has lost the popular vote in the  last 4 straight elections and 7 of the last 8. The party wins by very slim margins. Republicans can't afford a couple million Conservatives staying home or voting 3rd party. It would jeopardize the whole ballot. >
  
  He'll do it for the money, like everything else in his life.  He has no intention of winning but imagine the greatest grift he ever pulled.  He will certainly be indicted and on trail, but that didn't stop Bibi... >
  
  This is my purely hypothetical fantasy:
  Trump runs and creates a conservative schism, splitting off with his own party. The republican party becomes more moderate and the trump party moves further right.
  Because the conservative vote is divided, AOC and "The Gang"™ split off as well, creating a new party - call it the progressive party.
  That leaves Americans with way more choices, incentivizes the parties to propose more relevant and popular candidates, and breaks the gridlock in the house/senate. It allows more extreme viewpoints (fully nationalized healthcare, a nationwide abortion ban) to be party platforms without alienating the middle ground that the parties currently are swamped in.
  IE, the Trump party can attempt a nationwide abortion ban, while the more moderate republican party seeks to differentiate itself by carving out exemptions for rape, incest, health risks etc. With the two party system gone, no party is incentivized to do the opposite of The Bad Guys™, and instead responds to complex and nuanced positions of their base.
  Progressives are no longer hindered by the old guard, and the feeling that got Trump in power in the first place (Washington is full of phonies that want my vote but are all the same) is gone. 
  Trump running outside of the R ticket could save American politics.
  That's just my fantasy, though. >
  
  This fantasy is quite aligned with the movement toward ranked choice voting. The idea is that it would allow more diverse points of you to be in the national discourse, while moving the bigger candidates toward more reasonable, moderate positions. >
  
  Unfortunately there is zero incentive for the current powers-that-be to change the system. It would have to come from a disruptive outsider - like Trump. 
  The irony of Trump screwing over the GOP and saving American politics... >
  
  Sadly I agree with you on this. There would need to be an immensely disruptive force to allow such change. Which is why I think this scenario falls into the fantasy and irony category. For now… >
  
  Just like he did with the US Constitution, Trump will wipe his ass with the Republican Party and say they deserved it. >
  
  Trump never cared about parties. He chose republican only because he thought it was the easiest way to become president. I believe he states this in an interview. >
  
  Those are just empty threats as empty as the guy's head... He thinks that he can hold the party hostage without realizing that most of his candidates lost... He's so self absorbed that he cannot fathom the thought of "your time as passed" and you're nothing but a huge loser, even for a con-artist. >
  
  When elections are so close his threat doesn't need to come with a guarantee of him winning.
  He's still got enough power to deny Republicans a win against the Dems.
  First-past-the-post empowers him. >
  
  I think even Trump understands he only appeals to rubes. So somewhere deep in his scorpion brain even he knows there are not enough rubes in America. Or, I sure hope there are not enough. I am still puzzled how he got the office in the first place. My faith in humanity dropped substantially that day. >
  
  I will never feel the same about my fellow citizens after seeing them elect Donald Trump. >
  
  The GOP had every Republican candidate sign a contract to not run third party during the 2016 primaries because of Donald Trump. I wonder if they had enough foresight to have that contract last for Trump's remaining natural life. >
  
  Hah! I'm sure it's an "agreement" and not legally enforceable. >
  
  The angel on my shoulder says I should hope he never enters the realms of politics again and gets what he deserves as he will inevitably be indicted.  
  The devil on my other shoulder says I should hope Trump either wins the Republican nomination for 2024 or runs as third-party candidate.  In either of those cases, Republicans are doomed to lose another run for the White House and it would most certainly negatively impact their down-ballot races in state elections. >
  
  Donald Trump will be indicted early to mid-year…that is if we are a democratic country of laws. >
  
  Trump runs to raise campaign funds which he gives to himself. Running 3rd party allows him to get donations, ergo he'll do that. >
  
  I am relatively sure Trump will not get the GOP nomination. He and his supporters are an albatross around the neck of the Republican party. Given that he's a con man, I think he will threaten the GOP to run third party for some form of payoff. What that would be is hard to tell, a pardon or immunity maybe.
  I am more interested to see how the DNC will respond to whatever situation unfolds. Biden is economically unpopular. In a straight-up election against a Republican opponent that manages to sound reasonably sane, can he win? >
  
  I think even if he loses the primary and doesn't run third party, he'll have slung so much mud that his die-hard supporters will not turn out for the GOP candidate. If they bribe him well enough that he turns around and embraces them and brings his supporters with him, then Biden can paint him as just another Trump and the albatross is still there.
  Of course, if we're in a major recession by then, Biden is fucked no matter what. >
  
  I can't argue with that. We will have to see how it plays out. Of course, we could all get lucky, and he gets thrown in jail by then. >
  
  Well if he does this he will ruin his party and the GOP'S chances of winning in 2024. Go for it Trump. >
  
  I think it would be great for Trump to complete his work destroying the Republican Party. They deserve it for sucking up to him. I just hope he’ll take a bunch of Congressional candidates with him. He won’t, though, because it’s all about him. >
  
  He is going to get a deal from desantis to not run and in exchange he will get immunity/pardon for all the crimes. >
  
  Trump will(and has) burn the Republican Party down.  He doesn’t give a flying fuck about anyone but himself and to keep his grift going. >
  
  Trump is in an odd position.  Despite the CNN poll, I'd say he's currently the odds-on frontrunner for the GOP nomination, but he's weakened and he knows it.  His priority right now is to fend off challengers, and to do that he raises the stakes.
  
  By re-posting the article, is Trump saying he is willing to actually run as a 3rd Party candidate or is this just attention seeking?
  
  Trump is implying the threat here.  This is pretty common for Trump, who likes to hide behind a veneer of pretending like he isn't the one directing stories about him by attributing things he wants said to other people.  It really helps to think of him like a mob boss, someone who cannot just go out blasting out threats at perceived enemies lest they burn political capital and incur retribution from said enemies.  A perceived threat causes hesitancy in reaction, a direct threat provokes a reaction.  Trump also thrives in the chaos of people not knowing what his intentions are.
  Will Trump run 3rd party?  Well, first he has to lose the GOP primary, something that this maneuver is designed to help him avoid.  He's invoking the nuclear option here, an almost guaranteed GOP loss in 2024 by splitting the base if he fails to get what he wants.  This puts GOP challengers and the political benefactors who fund them into a quandary - if they challenge him and lose he's going to punish them, and if they challenge him and win he may still burn them down and waste their efforts anyway.  
  
  Is there a chance that if Trump for some reason does not get a nomination that he may actually decide to run as a third-party candidate? 
  
  Absolutely.  How big that chance is really is the big question.  Trump is a brawler with some keen tactical instincts, but strategically he's pretty incompetent.  He's driven by ego and narcissism about how he is perceived, and is unwilling to gracefully take a loss.  Take, for instance, his fight with the Gold Star family from 2016.  There wasn't a winning path for him there, but when attacked he attacked back and would not give it up.  It was the kind of thing that really drew attention to his (lack of) values as his ran under the party of Support The Troops but he wouldn't ever give it up until eventually the story just faded away as other stories took prominence.  Tactically he survived the encounter without too much damage, but strategically it was a blunder that made him look bad because he wouldn't stop attacking the parents of a veteran who died defending our country.  
  So I think that if he loses the GOP primary, there's a pretty good chance he's going to be pissed and unwilling to consider how it might damage himself long-term if he turns on the GOP.  
  
  Their top pick for an alternative? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
  
  Ron DeSantis has positioned himself well as the heir of the populist movement Trump stirred up and as the culture warrior of the American right and gotten the blessing of Fox News to be the one to oust Trump from the GOP, but I've seen enough tidbits that show that DeSantis may have a glass jaw.  Remember the 2016 Republican debate where Marco Rubio got eviscerated by Chris Christie?  DeSantis had a pretty big moment like that within the Florida Gubernatorial debates this year where he got pinned into a corner and caught completely off guard by Charlie Crist, who isn't exactly a heavyweight on stage.  And that's the thing with DeSantis - he doesn't have Trump's stage presence (more than a few people have noticed how he mimics Trump's gesticulation style on stages and has changed his body posture at public events) and largely keeps his public appearances in safe GOP harbors.  DeSantis doesn't get publicly challenged in unexpected ways and just doesn't have experience getting pushed on by people who are not friendly but not The Left.  He's been protected and sheltered by the people who want him to get rid of Trump, and eventually he'll have to come out of that shelter - you don't win independents by just doing interviews on Fox News.  If DeSantis beats Trump in the primary because Fox News fawns all over him for the next two years but shows signs of not being able to brawl, Trump will sense that weakness and be inclined to seize on it by running 3rd party.  And even if a 3rd party campaign fails to gain significant traction, even a percentage point or two shaved off in key states could take what might be a 50/50 race between a Dem and a GOP candidate and turn it into a Dem blowout. >
  
  
  Take, for instance, his fight with the Gold Star family from 2016.  There wasn't a winning path for him there, but when attacked he attacked back and would not give it up.
  
  It is a good assessment of his characteristics and also correct on DeSantis glass jaw. [He is afraid to declare his candidacy even. Additionally, he has mostly been mimicking Trump, perhaps in a somewhat refined of a way]. Finally, if the primaries will held today, Trump's base will put him over, but there is no chance of him winning the general. Too, there is this indictment in the air. >
  
  Blackmailing republicans that he will divide republican votes and diminish all republican win chances during elections.
  Well he is an asshole to everyone, also his own people. Why is it such a surprise? >
  
  He created a Twitter "alternative" when he was shunned. This will be not much different. I won't be shocked. >
  
  Running third party pretty much guarantees a Democrat win. He knows that and is using it to scare Republicans. It isn't even the first time he has done this. >
  
  Haha, trying to figure out what trump is thinking isn’t hard, he’s thinking about himself, that’s it, it ends there. He is like a cockroach that detects the light coming on, he reacts, and his default mode is to cover his ass, that’s it, he is an extreme clinical example of terminal narcissism on parade. The short answer to your question is yes!🤡 >
  
  Trump always makes sure he slashes and burns anything he comes in contact with now to include the Republican Party. He would like to take the USA down with him but that attempt has failed.... for now. >
  
  Politics is the easiest money he has ever made.  Conning his base into supporting his “campaigns” and then pocketing 90% of the donations is a hell of a lot easier than running a profitable business. Why not run as a third party candidate and fleece them one more time? >
  
  Please keep in mind: to believe anything this man says is to believe the world's most pathological liar. >
  
  Knowing how egotistical he is, and his willingness to cling to power through any means possible, I don’t think this is an empty threat. >
  
  He’s trying to maintain control of a party that is just now realizing he’s dragging them down. >
  
  Yeah he is bullying these cowardly ass republicans. Its pathetic how cowardly they are. How can any woman marry theses cowards. >
  
  No trump is serious, he needs to run for president to keep him his own ass out of jail or investigations 
  He’s also running out of spite to piss off all the Republicans who abandoned him. And he’s also going to do it because he’s a hell raiser >
  
  It's both attention seeking and he will actually do it. The more attention he gets, the more money he gets to grift. Another presidential bid does all of what he actually wants to accomplish:
  1) Get as much attention as possible.
  2) Use that attention to sell NFT's, Trump books, ect.. 
  3) He doesn't actually care about winning or the Rep. party, he only cares about his ego.
  4) Winning isn't priority, it's maximizing attention to sell shit. 
  All of these point to him running no matter what. >
  
  I AM SO HOPEFUL THAT TRUMP WILL RUN AS A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE. ANYTHING THAT CAN MUDDY THE CONSERVATIVE WATERS IS GOOD FOR THE HEALTH OF THE NATION. >
  
  He will definitely run as a 3rd party candidate. He has too much to lose; he's a gambler, and he's fucked if he doesn't pull out a win by some miracle. He's slimy, but not stupid. He is kinda stupid. >
  
  The best thing for America is for him to run 3rd party and help democrats win again >
  
  DeSantis and any serious Republican candidate probably won’t run and risk being tarnished as a national election loser if Trump is doing the “if I don’t win I’m doing the third party thing.” It’s a lose/lose game of chicken. Better to wait for next cycle. >
  
  I frequently dream of trump running third party from a jail cell! It would be very satisfying. >
  
  There are only three things that can happen:
  
  
  Trump is candidate and Desantis helps. 
  
  
  Desantis is candidate and trump helps.
  
  
  Desantis is candidate and Trump flings poo all over the walls. 
  
  
  In order of happening:  3, 1, 2
  3) Trump runs 3rd party, democrats win. Everyone knows the outcome so Republicans will try everything to avoid this. 
  1) Republicans go with this as last resort only to avoid scenario above.
  2) lol, as if. >
  
  IF (and that is a big if) Trump does actually run in 2024 I 100% guarantee that he would run as a 3rd party candidate if he did not receive the Republican nomination.
  However, I don't believe he will be running in 2024 as he will either be in numerous criminal trials or prison by then. >
  
  Emm! The genie is out of the box and no one can catch him. Do you honestly believe Trump would give up without a nasty fight? >
  
  All he needs to do is threaten it, and the GOP will fall in line behind him. As Lindsey Graham admitted openly after re-embracing Trump after disavowing him on Jan 6, the GOP simply cannot win elections without Trump. He has massive leverage over the GOP. All this talk about moving on from him is very, very cheap. I don’t see any Republicans suggesting the party platform be updated - as it stands, it simply says “support the agenda of Donald J Trump”. That’s who the GOP is. Trump will be their candidate in 2024, I’m sure of it. >
  
  Unless the bulk of republican money gets behind one candidate before the primaries start, Trump can win the nomination still. >
  
  Trump, despite his obvious failings as a human being, is quite a gifted communicator. He could care less about people who hate him. He's always seeking to reach those who will support him. 
  As a communicator he's constantly throwing out ideas to see what reaction they get. This very post is exactly that. No doubt some Trump cronies will even be reading these responses. 
  Will people support it? He's testing the waters. 
  How are R detractors responding to it? He's testing the waters. 
  What would new polls that ask this question reveal? He's testing the waters. 
  He's doing all of the work that operatives typically do in low key or secret ways, but he's not paying a dime for the answers. >
  
  He's done this before, hasn't he? Talked blithely about starting a new party, knowing that it would split the vote.
  It's the nuclear option. But he's done it too much. It's like when Putin threatens nukes. You can only brandish the weapon so many times before it loses its weight. >
  
  This is the equivalent of a three year old threatening to hold their breath if you don't buy them a candy bar. >
  
  He’s doing both. He’s literally setting up a scene where he could possibly screw the GOP on more than one front >
  
  The only way to know is see what happens. Trump doesn’t care about the Republican Party, he’s a narcissist. He only cares about himself. A third party run would give him an opportunity to continue to hog the spotlight and rake in donations even if it meant a massive Biden victory. >
  
  Trunk is a list with no continuing our any loyalty to anyone but himself. Hell do whatever he thinks is best for him on the present moment. >
  
  He was a life long democrat. Then switched to the republican party for politics. He’s pissed off everyone on both sides. Why is anyone surprised by this??? >
  
  As a Democrat and a sane individual I will be delighted with any move trump makes that brings more harm to the former Republican Party. I will be turning cartwheels if he can derail desantan’s campaign. That guy scares me - trump with political savvy- very, very dangerous. >
  
  I hope he run independent I will support him more than with the weak publican party >
  
  There’s no point in engaging in serious analysis. Trump is a huckster, a fraud and a dedicated liar. He will be completely transactional to whatever serves his ego. >
  
  This will be great news. I think he should run 3rd party. 
  He’s going to need cash for legal fees. 
  He needs all the donations he can get so he can run 3rd party, spend millions in legal fees, count on his name to do the heavy lifting, and give the election to Biden or the Democratic candidate because it’ll siphon votes from the Republican nominee. >
  
  That would be marvelous on several levels.  First, it would sink the Republicans Party's probability of winning the next election to near zero.  Second, we need multiple parties in this nation desperately.  The two party system is a great failure cause there are much more than two ways to look at any issue. >
  
  Donald Trump only cares about Donald Trump and will do whatever he thinks is in his best interest and whatever will enrich him. >
  
  Of course he will.  Isn't it rather obvious he doesn't take loosing too well!  Why would he be any different in 2024 than in 2020? >
  
  Trump throws shit against the wall just to see what sticks.  Of course he’s threatening the Republicans. >
  
  Haven’t we figured out that this guys does not give a sht? I believe he absolutely would; I’ve been suspecting that he would if he loses to Desantis or someone for quite some time. Causing a split in conservative votes and fcking the right for the next decade lol >
  
  The man will say and do whatever it takes to keep hopes alive and thereby money rolling in. >
  
  You mean, will the GOP have to sleep the bed they shat in? The answer is yes. Very very yes. Every GOP “leader” saw Trump for what he was -a con- but very popular. (Never mind that whole intelligence assessment that Putin was working to get him elected). 
  They saw Trump as a path to power with extreme flaws, but they decided to overlook those cause he could get them power. 
  Now if only someone had written a parable about making a deal with a questionable character and how that would turn out in the end. If only some wrote a folktale, or a book, or a movie or 200 of them. >
  
  OMG.  Please trump, oh please oh please oh PLEASE burn the trumpublican party to the ground.
  Dear God, I know I'm an atheist but I swear to you I will become your most faithful servant of you make this happen >
  
  When is it ever NOT attention seeking?
  When he is jailed he will flop around like a fish on the pier from lack of attention.
  He is THE world champion attention whore. >
  
  I think it’s a threat. And one that he’s going to escalate as time goes on. 
  He doesn’t want to run a competitive primary. He wants to be anointed without a serious challenge. >
  
  Oh yes please. Third party candidate! He will get 20% of the vote and the Republican will get about 30% and the Dems will scoop up everything.  I am one of those horrible liberals and I think this is an excellent idea. >
  
  The orange terrorist only wants to grift more money from his moron followers. >
  
  Will his more violence-prone supporters be triggered if the GOP continues to reject Trump in the runup to the 2024 elections?  Will Trump try to activate these people as his political and legal situations deteriorate? That's what bothers me most. >
  
  If he does…. He dilutes the Republican Party and probably handing a win to the democrats >
  
  The Marmalade Moses is terrified he'll lose his lemmings "contributions" if he's not constantly in the public eye - those folks sent him $420MILLION for his legal defense fund and he never appeared in court nor did he pay his lawyers!?!? and another $4.5Million for "trading cards" that don't exist! Scamming Republicans who listen to Fox and think QAnon is real is the only business he's ever made a success of, and he'll die broke if they every leave him. >
  
  I mean he threatened this in 2016 when asked if he’d support another nominee. Let’s not get it confused: Trump supports Trump, not the GOP. Republicans are stuck with him until he dies or is unable to run. Everyone thinking DeSantis will be the nominee have to understand Trump will destroy the party before he lets someone else take the Presidency.