On Wednesday, Reuters reported that over 120 Republican officials, including members of former President Donald Trump's administration, participated on a call to debate forming a new anti-Trump conservative third party.
"The early stage discussions include former elected Republicans, former officials in the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Trump, ex-Republican ambassadors and Republican strategists, the people involved say," reported Tim Reid. "More than 120 of them held a Zoom call last Friday to discuss the breakaway group, which would run on a platform of 'principled conservatism,' including adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law - ideas those involved say have been trashed by Trump."
Among the former Trump officials participating in the call were Elizabeth Neumann, a Homeland Security aide who has blasted the former president for showing "no leadership," and Miles Taylor, who was the famous "anonymous" official who wrote the New York Times op-ed proclaiming himself part of the "resistance" inside the government.
"The plan would be to run candidates in some races but also to endorse center-right candidates in others, be they Republicans, independents or Democrats, the people say," said the report. "Evan McMullin, who was chief policy director for the House Republican Conference and ran as an independent in the 2016 presidential election, told Reuters that he co-hosted the Zoom call with former officials concerned about Trump's grip on Republicans and the nativist turn the party has taken."
The GOP is at a crossroads with Trump out of office and Democrats in control of Congress, as they debate whether to move in a new direction or stay the course. Some polls have suggested Trump is still the top choice of GOP voters for president in 2024, making GOP lawmakers wary of disavowing him.
