The Art of the Deal: Who gained what in Trump-GOP pact

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U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks to the press after signing a pledge with the Republican National Committee in New York City. (Photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters) 

Donald Trump pledged his allegiance to the Grand Old Party Thursday, signing an oath to support whoever wins the Republican nomination for president — even if it’s not him.

“I just want fairness from the Republican Party,” Trump said at a news conference after meeting privately with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus in New York.

Trump’s coarse campaign has bewildered the RNC from the beginning. After unsuccessful attempts to discipline him (Priebus called Trump back in July to ask him to tone down the anti-immigrant rhetoric) and even denounce him (communications director Sean Spicer condemned his comments challenging John McCain’s war record), the national party’s strategy seemed to be simply distancing itself from him (Priebus backed out of planned post-GOP debate TV appearances after Trump’s attacks on Fox News host Megyn Kelly caused a firestorm).

But as Trump has continued to climb the polls, the RNC has become increasingly concerned by his threats to pursue a third party run if he is not the Republican nominee.

With this loyalty pledge, the RNC seems to have decided that if it can’t beat him, it might as well have him on its team.

So what does Trump get out of this? “Absolutely nothing,” he said at Thursday’s press conference. But while the RNC might not have promised anything in exchange for The Donald’s signature, signing the pledge wasn’t a completely selfless act either. With South Carolina Republicans issuing a new requirement for primary candidates to sign a similar pledge and party leaders in other states considering following suit, Trump’s newfound commitment ensures his inclusion on every state’s primary ballot.

The pledge was clearly created with Trump in mind, but he wasn’t the only one asked to sign. As the Washington Post’s Robert Costa points out, many of Trump’s Republican opponents “are pleased that the businessman’s third-party threat has for the moment been diminished, but they know that urging him to do so also means pressure on them to make the same oath, pledging to back whoever wins the nomination, even Trump.”

The pledge will certainly force the GOP to take Trump more seriously, but is that really what he wants? At Bloomberg Politics, Joshua Green writes that Trump “just signed his political death warrant,” arguing that, by agreeing to play by establishment rules, Trump has given up the freewheeling, unencumbered campaign platform that seemed to attract so many voters in the first place.

Now, Green writes, Trump is opening himself up to be judged against the national party platform, with which not all of his views align. He’s also opening himself up to more vicious attacks from his Republican rivals, who no longer have to worry that he’ll get them back in the general election.

There is a chance, however, that by embracing Trump in an effort to eliminate his third-party threat, the Republicans could wind up alienating prospective Hispanic voters, women and anyone else Trump may offend down the line — a potential consequence that would seem to stoke the conspiracy theory propagated by some that Trump is actually an undercover Democratic operative trying to sabotage the GOP from within.

According to Trump, though, the RNC doesn’t actually want him out of its way, it needs him on its side. “The best way for the Republicans to win is if I win the nomination and go directly against whoever [the Democrats] happen to put up,” Trump said after signing the pledge Thursday.

Of course, it’s a long road from here to the primaries, and the pledge is not in fact legally binding. But Trump insisted there are no circumstances in which he would go back on his word.

“I have no intention of changing my mind,” he said.