Donald Trump signed a pledge not to run as an independent
The Republican National Committee is pressing to convince Donald Trump to sign a pledge not to run as an independent in 2016, after having already secured such commitments from several other GOP candidates.
Trump, the GOP presidential front runner, was the only one who did not raise his hand when the 10 top-polling candidates were asked at last month’s Fox News debate whether they’d commit not to mount an outside White House bid.
Fox News has learned that the RNC on Wednesday began reaching out to several GOP campaigns asking their candidates to sign the new pledge.
But RNC Chairman Reince Priebus plans to personally visit Trump in New York City on Thursday afternoon — with the pledge at the heart of the meeting, a GOP source told Fox News.
Trump was scheduled to hold a press availability Thursday afternoon, after the meeting.
The pledge states in part that if the GOP contender does not become the nominee: “I will endorse the 2016 Republican presidential nominee regardless of who it is,” and “I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of another party.”
The Associated Press reported that RNC officials had been working privately with Trump’s campaign for several weeks to avert the possibility of Trump making a third-party run. In recent days, Trump has suggested he would soon decide whether to rule out an independent campaign.
“I think a lot of people are going to be very happy,” he said Saturday in Nashville.
Several other candidates already have made a similar commitment.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed the pledge during an appearance Thursday on Fox News.
“I’m in, I signed,” he said.
Commitments also came in from the campaigns of Ohio Gov. John Kasich; former New York Gov. George Pataki; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; former HP CEO Carly Fiorina; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson;Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
The pledge also follows Virginia and South Carolina GOP state parties making a similar pledge effort.
Fox News’ Serafin Gomez, Jessica O’Hara and Patrick Manning and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: FOXNews.com
LOYALTY OATH RNC pressures Trump to vow no independent run
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