President Donald Trump has reportedly spoken to some of his associates in recent days about forming his own political party, although the idea is considered unlikely even if he is being serious.
“Trump discussed the matter with several aides and other people close to him last week, the people said,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “The president said he would want to call the new party the ‘Patriot Party,’ the people said.”
The report indicated that it was unknown how serious Trump was about the idea and noted that the investment of time and resources needed to make it a major player in American politics could be a deterrent to the president.
Top pro-Trump Republicans close to the Trump administration told The Daily Wire that they thought it was a “bad idea” and that it would split enough support away from the Republican Party that it would ensure Democrats stay in the majority for quite some time into the future. Online, Democrats and leftists in the media cheered the idea for that exact reason.
The report came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed the president during a speech today on the Senate floor.
“The last time the Senate convened, we had just reclaimed the Capitol from violent criminals who tried to stop Congress from doing our duty,” McConnell said. “This mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the President and other powerful people. And they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like. But we pressed on. We stood together and said an angry mob would not get veto power over the rule of law in our nation. Not even for one night.”
Trump, on his final full day in office, delivered his farewell address and highlighted some of the achievements that his administration accomplished over the last four years.
“We must never forget that while Americans will always have our disagreements, we are a nation of incredible, decent, faithful, and peace-loving citizens who all want our country to thrive and flourish and be very, very successful and good. We are a truly magnificent nation,” he said. “All Americans were horrified by the assault on our Capitol. Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans. It can never be tolerated. Now more than ever, we must unify around our shared values and rise above the partisan rancor, and forge our common destiny.”