NEW YORK — Republican presidential candidates will be blocked from the debate stage this summer if they do not sign a pledge to support the GOP's ultimate presidential nominee, according to draft language set to be adopted when the Republican National Committee meets next week.
The proposal sets up a potential clash with former President Donald Trump, who has raised the possibility of leaving the Republican Party and launching an independent candidacy if he does not win the GOP nomination outright. Such a move could destroy the GOP's White House aspirations in 2024 and raise questions about the party's future.
"After the primary, it is imperative to the health and growth of our Republican Party, as well as the country, that we all come together and unite behind our nominee to defeat Joe Biden and the Democrats," RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement to The Associated Press when asked about the loyalty pledge.
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Much of the party is eager to move past Trump but Republican leaders have few, if any, tools to control the former president given his popularity with the GOP's most passionate voters. RNC leaders are hopeful a loyalty pledge, while ultimately unenforceable, would generate some shared commitment to unity, albeit a fragile one, as the presidential primary season takes off.
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A senior Trump aide could not say whether the former president would sign a pledge to support the eventual nominee but suggested privately that he plans to participate in the debates. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung declined to answer the question directly as well.
"President Trump is the undisputed leader of the Republican Party and will be the nominee," Cheung said. "There is nobody who can outmatch President Trump's energy or the enthusiasm he receives from Americans of all backgrounds."
In 2016, Trump signed a similar loyalty pledge that was not tied to debates but he later reneged as the primary campaign became more contentious. At the very first Republican primary debate that year, Trump was the only candidate on stage who refused to commit to supporting the party's eventual nominee unless it was him.
Last December, Trump shared an article on social media encouraging him to seek a third-party bid to punish the GOP should Republican primary voters select another presidential nominee in 2024.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event Jan. 28 at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, S.C.
Meanwhile, virtually every Democrat thought to have presidential aspirations already promised to unite behind President Joe Biden, assuming the 78-year-old Democrat follows through on his plan to seek a second term. Biden may face token resistance from a lower-profile intraparty rival — activist and author Marianne Williamson is exploring another White House bid, for example — but the Democratic president would face little pressure to appear on the debate stage before the fall of 2024 for the general election debates, should they occur.
The Republican loyalty pledge is among several provisions likely to be adopted as the RNC's Temporary Standing Committee on Presidential Debates meets next week to determine the rules governing which candidates may participate in the GOP's upcoming debate season — and which media networks will host the events.
The committee is considering between 10 and 12 debates to begin in late July at the Reagan Library in California or at the RNC's summer meeting in Milwaukee, the host of the GOP's next national convention.
Committee officials are sorting through proposals from as many as 18 media companies eager to host a debate. They include major television networks like CNN, MSNBC and Fox and lower-profile conservative favorites like Newsmax, according to people directly involved in the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Republican National Committee logo on the stage as crew members work Jan. 13, 2016, at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, S.C., ahead of Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate.
While the likes of CNN and NBC hosted Republican primary debates in 2016, Republican officials suggest it would be a mistake to assume they will be selected this time given widespread disdain for the networks among the party's base. Representatives from each network will pitch the RNC in person Wednesday and Thursday.
Meanwhile, the criteria for debate participants will almost certainly include a new donor threshold to demonstrate broad support among the party's grassroots in addition to a polling threshold of either 1% or 2%. Participants also will be asked to sign a pledge to avoid any general election debates hosted by the Commission for President Debates; the commission has hosted every general election presidential debate since 1988, but Republicans increasingly believe the nonpartisan group is biased against them.
GOP leaders are most concerned about the party's ability to come together after what promises to be a divisive primary election season.
Dave Bossie, a former Trump aide and current RNC member leading the debate committee, noted the committee is modeling its 2024 loyalty pledge after the 2016 pledge every Republican candidate signed.
"All Republicans can agree that Joe Biden has been a disaster for America," Bossie said. "Therefore, it should be easy for every candidate to pledge unity toward defeating the radical Biden administration."
Here are 20 Republicans considering 2024 presidential runs
Donald Trump
Donald Trump: The former president officially launched his campaign in November, days after the midterm elections. And he never really stopped running after 2020, continuing to hold campaign-style rallies with supporters.
Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley: Haley launched her presidential campaign Feb. 14. It was a shift from her previous insistence she would not run against Trump. "It's time for a new generation of leadership to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose," she said in a video announcing her bid.
Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis: The Florida governor emerged as the top alternative to Trump in many conservatives' eyes after his dominant reelection victory. A DeSantis announcement is likely months away, with Florida currently in the middle of its legislative session. But his memoir, accompanied by a media blitz, will drop at the end of February, and top advisers are building a political infrastructure.
Mike Pence
Mike Pence: The former vice president's split with Trump over the events of Jan. 6, 2021, kicked off a consistent return to political travel. He has made clear that he believes the GOP will move on from Trump. "I think we're going to have new leadership in this party and in this country," Pence told CBS in January.
Tim Scott
Tim Scott: The South Carolina senator would make a second Palmetto State Republican in the 2024 field if, as expected, he enters the race in the near future. Scott is building a political infrastructure, including hiring for a super PAC, and is set to visit Iowa for an event his team billed as focused on "faith in America."
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz: The Texas senator and 2016 GOP contender has not ruled out another presidential bid. But he is also seeking reelection in 2024. "I think there will be plenty of time to discuss the 2024 presidential race. I'm running for reelection to the Senate," he told the CBS affiliate in Dallas in February.
Glenn Youngkin
Glenn Youngkin: The Virginia governor's 2021 victory offered Republicans a new playbook focused on parental power in education. His political travel, including stops for a series of Republican gubernatorial candidates last year, makes clear Youngkin has ambitions beyond Virginia. He faced a setback to his push for a 15-week abortion ban when Democrats won a state senate special election earlier this year, expanding their narrow majority.
Chris Sununu
Chris Sununu: The New Hampshire governor's timeline isn't clear, but he recently established a political action committee that borrowed his state's motto: "Live Free or Die." He has positioned himself as a strong Trump opponent and alternative within the GOP. He would also start with the advantage of being universally known in an early-voting state. "I think America as a whole is looking for results-driven leadership that calls the balls and strikes like they see them and is super transparent," Sununu told Axios this week.
Kristi Noem
Kristi Noem: The South Dakota governor who won reelection in November has certainly cultivated a national profile, becoming a regular at conservative gatherings and donor confabs. But she hasn't committed to a presidential run. "I'm not convinced that I need to run for president," she told CBS in January.
Greg Abbott
Greg Abbott: The Texas governor who cruised past a 2020 presidential contender, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, to win his third term in November is unlikely to make any official 2024 moves until his state's legislative session wraps up at the end of May. He told Fox News in January that a 2024 run "is it's not something I'm ruling in right now. I'm focused on Texas, period."
Larry Hogan
Larry Hogan: The former Maryland governor is another Trump opponent. He told Fox News he is giving a 2024 run "very serious consideration."
Asa Hutchinson
Asa Hutchinson: The former Arkansas governor is a rare Republican from a deep-red state who has been willing to criticize Trump. Now weeks removed from office, he also doesn't have the at-home responsibilities facing other governors. He told CBS that he'll decide on a 2024 by "probably April." He said he believes voters are "looking for someone that is not going to be creating chaos, but also has got the record of being a governor, of lowering taxes."
Chris Christie
Chris Christie: The former New Jersey governor is one of several 2024 GOP prospects headed to Texas for a private donor gathering in late February, along with Pence, Haley, Scott, Sununu and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Christie said on ABC earlier this year he doesn't believe Trump could beat President Joe Biden in 2024.
Mike Pompeo
Mike Pompeo: Trump's secretary of state and the former Kansas congressman said during a tour for his new book, "Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love," that he would decide on a presidential run in the coming months. He's been among the Republicans most openly considering a run, traveling to early-voting states for more than a year.
Liz Cheney
Liz Cheney: The former Wyoming congresswoman who emerged as the foremost GOP critic of Trump's lies about widespread election fraud lost her House seat to a Trump-backed primary challenger. She launched a political action committee last year and made clear she intends to try to purge the GOP of Trump's influence. But what that means in the context of a potential 2024 bid is not yet clear.
Will Hurd
Will Hurd: The former Texas congressman who represented a border district recently traveled to New Hampshire, an early-voting state, though it's not clear whether or when he would enter the race. "I always have an open mind about how to serve my country," he told Fox News.
Keep an eye on: Brian Kemp
Brian Kemp: The Georgia governor, who fended off a Trump-backed primary challenge on the way to reelection last year, has added political staffers and is sometimes mentioned as a vice presidential prospect.
Keep an eye on: Rick Scott
Rick Scott: The Florida senator has said he won't run for president, but things can change. He has taken steps to build his national profile.
Keep an eye on: Josh Hawley
Josh Hawley: The Missouri senator has also said he won't run but, like Scott, has taken steps to build his national profile.
Keep an eye on: John Bolton
John Bolton: Trump's former national security adviser has teased a run as a Trump foil.
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