Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign strategy is expanding into the non-traditional voter base of the Republican Party. On Saturday (25th), Trump spoke at the Libertarian Party National Convention held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, seeking the party’s nomination and voter support, urging to achieve a win-win situation with the party in the 2024 presidential election.
In his opening remarks, Trump jokingly mentioned why he was there, saying, since he has been sued by the government several times, “if I wasn’t a libertarian before, I definitely am now.”
During his speech, Trump said that if he is elected, he will bring libertarians into his cabinet and appoint them to senior government positions, which was met with cheers.
Trump called on the party to join forces with him to achieve a win in the 2024 election. He said, “I think now you should nominate me, or at least vote for me, and we should win together… This is very important because we must get rid of the worst president in history.”
He added, “You only do this when you want to win; if you don’t want to win, then don’t do it, and continue getting your 3% every four years.”
Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson won around 3% of the national vote in 2016, the highest in the party’s history. However, in the intense competition of 2020, the party’s nominee Jo Jorgensen only received slightly over 1% of the vote.
During his speech, Trump also highly praised libertarian and Fox News contributor Deroy Murdock. The columnist recently wrote an article stating that Trump’s policies during his presidency, such as tax cuts, bureaucratic streamlining, and inflation control, align with libertarian values. While Trump may not personally identify as a libertarian, he is a true libertarian.
The speech lasted for about 30 minutes, and the Libertarian Party is expected to select its presidential candidate on Sunday.
In a statement, Trump expressed his goal to attract liberal voters who, like him, want to defeat Biden.
Trump’s campaign team spokesperson, Jason Miller, told CNN, “Some will want him to go there, and some won’t, but we are launching an offensive to attract non-traditional voters and unite the country.”
Trump’s campaign team stated that his outreach to non-traditional voters in places where Republican influence is weak, including a rally in the Bronx during the suspension of the trial in the Trump Organization investigation in New York on Thursday (23rd).
This was Trump’s first time participating in the Libertarian Party’s national convention – current or former presidents have never spoken at such an event before. Trump’s invitation to the Libertarian convention and his speech have stirred internal division and controversy within the party.
Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle told The Washington Post, “For over fifty years, the Libertarian Party has been insignificant in the political arena. But this time, suddenly because of Trump, we have become… the focus of national media.” She stated that this speech will attract the attention the party needs, as their recent decline in membership and funding has been evident.
McArdle has faced criticism from left-wing libertarians for inviting Trump and recently commenting that Trump is “better” than Biden. In the week following the announcement of Trump’s invitation, anti-Trump factions within the party leadership have been trying to rescind the invitation, but McArdle has refused.
In addition to inviting Trump, she also invited Biden and Robert F. Kennedy, but did not receive a response from Biden.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy spoke at the Libertarian Party convention on Friday, criticizing Trump and Biden’s COVID-19 lockdown measures to seek the party’s nomination and support.
The Libertarian Party, established in 1971, is currently the third-largest political party in the United States and the fastest-growing party, with over 650,000 registered voters. The party has over two hundred members holding public office, including mayors, county officials, and others.