New Book Claims Trump Threatened To Leave GOP Post Jan 6

A new book by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent John Karl claims that former President Donald Trump threatened to leave the GOP and form his own party after the Jan. 6 insurrection, but eventually backed down.

According to an excerpt from the book released by ABC, “Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show,” Trump told Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairperson Ronna McDaniel, “I’m done. I’m starting my own party.” Karl writes McDaniel responded, “If you do, we will lose forever,” to which Trump replied, “Exactly, you lose forever without me, I don’t care.”

The conversation reportedly took place on Jan. 20 as Trump boarded Air Force One on his last flight as president. However, news stories reporting that Trump may create a new party started early in January, with The Wall Street Journal claiming the upstart group was considering forming the “Patriot Party.”

In a statement responding to the book, Trump said, “ABC Non-News and 3rd rate reporter Jonathan Karl have been writing fake news about me from the beginning of my political career. Just look at what has now been revealed about the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. It was a made-up and totally fabricated scam and the lame-stream media knew it. It just never ends!”

In his interview with Karl, Trump claimed to be unable to recall the Jan. 20 conversation with Chairwoman McDaniel.

"You mean I was going to form another party or something?" Trump responded to Karl. "Oh, that is bulls--t. It never happened."

According to the ABC correspondent, if Trump did decide to leave, the RNC made it clear they would not pay the legal bills of post-2020-election challenges across the country. The organization also alleged that it would withhold lists of 40 million Trump supporters used for fundraising.

McDaniel also issued a statement claiming “this is false, I have never threatened President Trump with anything. He and I have a great relationship. We have worked tirelessly together to elect Republicans up and down the ballot and will continue to do so.”

Trump recently helped his friend and former NFL player Hershel Walker receive Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s endorsement in October, making him the likely GOP candidate for Senate in Georgia. Many expect Trump to run again in 2024 as part of the Republican Party.