Pressure Campaign? Donald Trump 'Keeping Track' of Republicans Who Don't Endorse Him Before Iowa Caucuses: Report
Jan. 10 2024, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
Donald Trump is reportedly “keeping track” of Republicans who do not endorse him before the Iowa caucuses later this month, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a startling development to come just days before the Iowa caucuses are set to kick off on January 15, sources close to Trump’s 2024 campaign suggested that the ex-president was “pressuring” GOP lawmakers to support him.
According to the insiders familiar with the matter, Trump and his team launched a “pressure campaign” to garner last-minute support before the Iowa caucuses.
“A spate of recent endorsements from various members of Congress and governors – including every member of House GOP leadership and the No. 3 Senate Republican – is a direct result of Trump and his team’s ramped-up effort to secure as many endorsements as possible in the final days before the Iowa caucuses,” four sources told CNN on Wednesday.
“The former president’s advisers have quietly informed some Republicans that they are keeping track of who endorses him pre- and post-Iowa,” the insiders added.
It is unclear what the embattled ex-president has planned for those Republicans who do not support him.
Meanwhile, at least one GOP lawmaker – House Rep. Ralph Norman – confirmed that he was approached by Trump’s team regarding a pre-Iowa endorsement.
Norman previously endorsed GOP primary candidate Nikki Haley, and he reportedly rejected Trump’s endorsement request.
“I’m very comfortable with my choice with Nikki. You see what she’s doing in the polls,” Norman told CNN.
“I like Donald Trump. His policies were great,” the GOP congressman continued. “But we could use a person that can spend eight years trying to correct this country.”
Sources also claimed that GOP House Conference Chair Elise Stefanik “played a major role” in pushing GOP lawmakers to back Trump before the Iowa caucuses.
“During a weekly conference meeting before the new year, Stefanik gave a presentation to GOP lawmakers on Trump’s poll numbers, arguing he is running away with the nomination and urging members to get behind him,” insiders told CNN.
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“She also pointed out there are added perks to publicly endorsing Trump – namely, a bump in fundraising,” the sources continued. “Stefanik, who became the first Republican leader to endorse Trump, explained that members who have officially endorsed Trump can receive a special badge for their digital fundraising pages, which could help boost their efforts to raise money.”
It should be noted that Stefanik recently came under fire for saying she might not accept the 2024 election results if Trump does not win.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Trump so far remains the frontrunner in the GOP primary race with just days to go before the Iowa caucuses next week.
Trump recently attacked Nikki Haley after learning that she was slowly rising in the polls and may become a threat to his potential return to the White House later this year.