Donald Trump threatened Monday to renege on his pledge to not run as independent, saying that the Republican establishment was not holding up its end of a deal.
In December Trump committed to support whoever becomes the Republican nominee for president, saying at the time he was “totally committed to the Republican Party.”
But Saturday’s Republican debate — in which Trump was repeatedly booed by the conservative crowd — left the blowhard billionaire with doubts about the deal with the Republican National Committee.
“I signed a pledge and as far as I’m concerned they’re in default of their pledge," Trump said in Charleston, S.C.
The RNC had packed the room full of conservatives supportive of the Republican establishment who opposed Trump, he said.
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"I know many of those people. Lobbyists and special interests. Take a look! That's a wealthy room,” he said, adding, “The RNC does a terrible job.”
Trump had previously said his commitment to the GOP was contingent on his being treated “fairly.”
A third-party run by Trump presents a potentially devastating threat to Republican efforts to reclaim the White House.
The threat by the GOP frontrunner to throw another wrench in the Republican machine came hours before his rival, Jeb Bush, was scheduled to hold a rally in Charleston with his brother, George W. Bush.
New York Daily News front pages on the presidential electionView galleryOn Twitter Trump continued talking trash about the 43rd President.
“Now that George Bush is campaigning for Jeb(!), is he fair game for questions about World Trade Center, Iraq War and (economic) collapse? Careful!” Trump tweeted.
At a press conference shortly after the rally, Trump assailed his other rival, Ted Cruz.
Trump slammed the junior senator from Texas as “a totally unstable individual” and “the single biggest liar I’ve ever come across.”
Outraged at Cruz’s statements he would appoint a liberal judge to the Supreme Court and was not a supporter of the 2ndAmendment, Trump threatened legal action challenging his eligibility for president if he didn’t apologize.
“It is hard to believe a person who proclaims to be a Christian could so dishonest and lie so much,” Trump said.