Former President Donald Trump gently nudged the Republican National Committee against enacting a proposal that would enshrine him as the party’s “presumptive nominee” for president.
“While I greatly appreciate the Republican National Committee (RNC) wanting to make me their PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE, and while they have far more votes than necessary to do it, I feel, for the sake of PARTY UNITY, that they should NOT go forward with this plan,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
“I should do it the ‘Old Fashioned’ way, and finish the process off AT THE BALLOT BOX. Thank you to the RNC for the Respect and Devotion you have shown me! “
The resolution was furnished by David Bossie, an RNC committeeman from Maryland former Trump 2016 deputy campaign manager, and comes as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley continues to jockey with the 45th president for the party nod.
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“Resolved, that the Republican National Committee hereby declares President Trump as our presumptive 2024 nominee for the office of President of the United States and from this moment forward moves into full general election mode welcoming supporters of all,” the resolution said.
Bossie’s pitch, first reported by The Dispatch and independently confirmed by The Post, cited Trump’s victories in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary and argued that “money spent from this moment forward” would be more wisely used opposing President Biden.
Nikki Haley’s campaign brushed aside the RNC resolution. ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockDavid Bossie is largely seen as a key ally of Donald Trump. AP
Haley’s campaign was unimpressed with the pre-emptive maneuver.
“Who cares what the RNC says? We’ll let millions of Republican voters across the country decide who should be our party’s nominee, not a bunch of Washington insiders,” said campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas.
“If [RNC Chairwoman] Ronna McDaniel wants to be helpful she can organize a debate in South Carolina, unless she’s also worried that Trump can’t handle being on the stage for 90 minutes with Nikki Haley.”
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RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper told The Post that Bossie’s proposal “will be taken up by the Resolutions Committee and they will decide whether to send this resolution to be voted on by the 168 RNC members at our annual meeting next week” in Las Vegas.
Schipper added that RNC members frequently propose resolutions and not all are adopted by the membership
RNC rules require candidates to lock down 1,215 delegates to become the party’s standard-bearer in a presidential election.
Trump won at least 20 of the 40 available delegates from Iowa following his near 30-point victory, and is set to pick up at least 12 of New Hampshire’s 21 delegates following his 11-point win in the Granite State, per the latest data.
Ronna McDaniel predicted Donald Trump will be the GOP standard bearer. AP
Haley is set to gain eight delegates from her third-place finish in Iowa and nine in New Hampshire.
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While McDaniel has stopped short of directly calling on Haley to exit the race, she told Fox News Tuesday night that she did not see how Haley could overcome Trump and win the nomination.
“I’m looking at the math and the path going forward, and I don’t see it for Nikki Haley,” she said at the time.
“There is a message that’s coming out from the voters, which is very clear,” she added. “We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump.”
Donald Trump is agitated that he still has a primary challenger. REUTERS
Neither the Trump campaign, nor Bossie immediately responded to requests for comment.
Bossie is also the chairman and president of Citizens United, a conservative advocacy group.
Authorities ruled the death of a 62-year-old man who was found stabbed at his home in Laconia, N.H. last week a homicide, prosecutors said Tuesday.
An autopsy by the state medical examiner’s office found that John Anderson died from stab wounds to the neck, the office of Attorney General John M. Formella said in a statement.
Police went to Anderson’s apartment at 217 South Main St. the morning of April 14 for a welfare check when officers discovered his body, Formella’s office said in a previous statement.
No arrests were reported.
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State Police detectives asked the public for information about Anderson’s movements or activity at his home from April 12 to April 14.
Anderson’s death was the first of two homicides in Laconia on April 14.
Linda Dionne, 58, was found dead at 52 Old Prescott Hill Road around 1:40 p.m., Formella’s office said. An autopsy showed she died of strangulation.
Dionne’s son Christopher Garon, 32, was at the scene and shortly arrested and charged with second-degree murder, officials said.
Chloe Pisani can be reached at chloe.pisani@globe.com.
PORTLAND, Maine (WGME) — Police say they found a missing New Hampshire teen during a traffic stop in Portland on Monday.
Police say they stopped a car at the intersection of Hanover Street and Lancaster Street around 8:35 p.m.
Police say they arrested 19-year-old Wyatt Boulette of Springvale and charged him with operating after suspension or revocation and violating conditions of release. He was taken to the Cumberland County Jail.
A 17-year-old boy, who was a passenger in the car, had a warrant for his arrest. He taken Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.
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Wyatt Boulette (Cumberland County Jail)
Police say another passenger, a 17-year-old girl, had been reported missing in Tilton, New Hampshire. She was taken to the Portland Police Department, where she was later released to her mother.
No other details have been released at this time.
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Anyone who has any information about this case is asked to call the Portland Police Department at (207) 874-8575. You may also text the keyword PPDME and your message to 847411.
A man was killed Monday in an exchange of gunfire with police in Ashland, New Hampshire, authorities said.
The office of New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said Ashland police stopped a vehicle Monday evening on Main Street. A man in the vehicle, whose name has not been released, allegedly pulled a gun.
Officials said the man shot and wounded one police officer. The man was shot during the confrontation and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officer is being treated at a hospital for a gunshot injury. No one else was hurt, authorities said.
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Formella’s office is investigating the shooting alongside New Hampshire State Police.
The names of the officers involved in the incident will not be shared until interviews are completed, authorities said. The man killed in the shooting will be publicly identified after next of kin are notified and an autopsy is conducted.
