Donald Trump threatened Sunday to run as an independent if the Republican Party leadership treats him poorly.
“The Republican establishment has been pushing for lightweight Senator Marco Rubio to say anything to ‘hit’ Trump. I signed the pledge-careful,” Trump tweeted.
This is the latest episode in a long-running saga.
On September 3, Trump pledged allegiance to the GOP, vowing not to run as independent if he lost the primary. Trump dithered on the question in the first debate in August. That made him the only candidate on stage who left open room to run separately.
For Trump, the pledge has always been a two-way street. He has demanded fair treatment by the Republican National Committee lin exchange for honoring his vow.
Two weeks ago, Trump hit the RNC for not meeting its obligations. He said the Republican National Committee was stacking debate audiences with Trump antogonists. The debate audience in South Carolina in February was notably receptive to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who ended up doing so poorly in South Carolina he had to drop out.
“I signed a pledge, but the pledge isn’t being honored by the RNC because those tickets were all to special interest people,” Trump said then. “The RNC does a terrible job.”
