Donald Trump’s next move prompts ‘new party’ speculation as Ivanka urged to run

Donald Trump is already plotting his political future with a new prime target as his daughter Ivanka is urged to run for office.

Ousted US President Donald Trump is said to be moving forward with plans to create a new “Patriot Party” in a bid to put the squeeze on Republicans who spoke out against him, as well as attempting to avoid conviction in his second Senate impeachment trial.

According to a report in The Washington Post, Mr Trump has told allies that his third-party threat gives him an advantage in preventing Republican senators from voting to convict him during the Senate trial next month, people close to the former President told the outlet.

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to start a new political party. Picture: AFP

Since the inauguration, Mr Trump has been holed up in his Mar-a-lago estate in Florida.

He has only made one public comment about his future since officially leaving office last week, telling a reporter on Friday night (local time) that “we’ll do something, but not just yet.”

Mr Trump has reportedly raised US$70 million ($A90 million) to fund his new party.

And the former President is said to be putting together a list of Republicans who opposed his baseless claims of election fraud, telling aides to prepare primary challenges against them, sources reportedly told The Washington Post.

Republican Liz Cheney voted to impeach Donald Trump. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump is no fan of Brian Kemp after the Georgia Governor refused to back Mr Trump’s challenge to the state’s election results. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

Mr Trump’s list reportedly includes Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the highest ranking Republican who voted to impeach Mr Trump over his role in the Capitol riots on January 6.

Rep. Tom Rice, a South Carolina Republican, is also in Mr Trump’s crosshairs for the same reason.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is said to be on the list for refusing to back Mr Trump’s challenge to the state’s election results, which were certified for new President Joe Biden.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who has said that she is open to voting to convict Mr Trump, is also said to be on the list. Mr Kemp and Ms Murkowski are both up for re-election in 2022.

Mr Trump’s advisers say they plan to target opposing primary candidates and commission polling as soon as next week in districts of targeted politicians.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Marco Rubio has claimed he is not concerned about rumours that Ivanka Trump could run against him in a 2022 Florida re-election race.

Ivanka Trump could soon follow her father into politics. Picture: AFP

“I don’t really get into the parlour games of Washington,” Mr Rubio told Fox News on Sunday (local time).

“If you’re going to run for the Florida Senate, you’re going to have a tough race, including a primary. That’s their right under the system.”

Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, is said to be encouraging his wife to run.

After leaving Washington DC last week, the power couple are currently living in Miami. They recently bought a $A38 million plot of land where they reportedly plan to build a new home.

With her father’s move to Florida, US media have reported that Ivanka Trump could launch a bid for public office in the Sunshine state that she now calls home.

“I don’t own the Senate seat,” Mr Rubio said of a potential face-off with Mr Trump’s eldest daughter. “It doesn’t belong to me.”

Donald and Melania Trump bid farewell to Washington last week and hello to Florida. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

MONTH SET FOR TRUMP’S TRIAL

Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s impeachment trial is set to start next month, after new Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the article accusing him of inciting insurrection will be delivered on Monday (local time).

“It will be a full trial, it will be a fair trial,” said Mr Schumer on Friday morning local time.

In a gaffe that drew much online mocking, Mr Schumer fumbled his words and accused Mr Trump of inciting an “erection”.

Supporters of Donald Trump lined the streets to see the former president after his arrival in Florida. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

“Make no mistake, there will be a trial and when that trial ends, senators will have to decide if they believe Donald John Trump incited the erection against the United States,” Mr Schumer said, before correcting himself.

The House voted to impeach Mr Trump in the final days of his presidency but there was uncertainty about when this next step would take place.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial will be fair. Picture: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

Under a deal reached late Friday, local time, it was agreed between Mr Schumer and the Rebuplican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, that the trial would begin on February 9.

It will then run six days a week, excepting Sundays, until a verdict is reached.

Mr Graham had pushed on Thursday night for a two-week delay in order for Mr Trump to prepare his defence.

US Senator Lindsey Graham has pushed to delay Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Picture: AFP

Although the impeachment trial comes too late to remove Mr Trump from public office it could have a significant impact on his political future.

Should a two-third majority ruling by the Senate find him guilty of one count of incitement to insurrection, there is potential for a second vote, in which a majority vote could bar him from running again for president in 2024.

“I’ve heard some of my Republican colleagues argue that this trial would be unconstitutional because Donald Trump is no longer in office. An argument that has been roundly repudiated, debunked by hundreds of constitutional scholars — left, right, and centre — and defies basic common sense,” Mr Schumer said.

“It makes no sense whatsoever that a president or any official could commit a heinous crime against our country and then be permitted to resign so as to avoid accountability and a vote to disbar them from future office. It makes no sense.”

US Vice President Kamala Harris holds the deciding vote in the Senate. Picture: AFP

The Senate is held 50-50 by both parties with Democrat Kamala Harris holding the deciding vote as vice president.

Mr Trump repeatedly said while campaigning that he would make another pitch for the White House and until his drubbing in November and messy transition he still enjoyed huge Republican support.

While he remains a commanding figure, even his rusted on base appeared to retreat in his final days and establishment Republicans could choose to purge him from conservative ranks.

Mr Trump has hired South Carolina lawyer Butch Bowers to defend him.

At his past impeachment trial a year ago, he was also able to avail himself of White House counsel.

Democrat members of Congress Jamie Raskin, Diana DeGette, David Cicilline, Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, Stacey Plaskett, Madeleine Dean and Joe Neguse will argue that Mr Trump’s words to his supporters on January 6 constituted high crimes and misdemeanours.

Donald Trump encouraged thousands of his supporters to “stop the steal”, causing an attempted insurrection. Picture: AFP

Mr Trump encouraged thousands of his supporters to march on the Congress to the protest the certification of Joe Biden’s election win after a “stop the steal” rally on January 6.

A violent mob went on to overrun an unprepared US Capitol, leading to the deaths of five people, the rioters coming within moments of seizing and harming members of Congress.

Hundreds have now been charged.

TRUMP’S BORDER WALL ON THE LINE

Meanwhile, the fate of Mr Trump’s border wall with Mexico will be decided in coming weeks after Mr Biden fulfilled his promise to halt construction with one of his first executive orders.

The wall was the key physical embodiment of Mr Trump’s “America-first” movement and a rally to celebrate its progress was the last time he appeared in public as president.

“We can’t let the next administration even think about taking it down,” he said at Alamo, Texas on January 12.

A reinforced section of the US-Mexico border fencing seen at El Nido de las Aguilas eastern Tijuana, Baja California state. Picture: Guillermo Arias / AFP

“I don’t think that will happen – I think when you see what it does and how it’s so important for our country, nobody is going to be touching it.”

Yesterday, the Army Corps of Engineers, which has oversight of border projects, stopped all new construction as they reviewed the implications of the executive order signed by Mr Biden in his first hours in office.

Although a campaigning Mr Trump repeatedly promised in 2016 that Mexico would pay for a “beautiful” border wall measuring “more than 1000 miles”, just 732km has been completed.

Of this only 150km was new construction, the rest to replace dilapidated and worn out structures along the southern border.

And rather than Mexico paying, American taxpayers have been funding the project.

Mr Biden said during his campaign that public funds would not go to building “another foot” of the wall.

An initial allocation of $5.5 billion (US$4.4 billion) by Congress was supplemented by a further $9 billion (US$7 billion) that Mr Trump controversially diverted through executive order from the military budget.

The fate of these additional funds and a series of legal challenges are now up in the air after Mr Biden ordered an “immediate termination of the national emergency declaration that was used as a pretext to justify some of the funding diversions”.

Construction crews work on a new section of the US-Mexico border wall. The fate of the wall is now up in the air. Picture: AFP

“The proclamation directs an immediate pause in wall construction projects to allow a close review of the legality of the funding and contracting methods used, and to determine the best way to redirect funds that were diverted by the prior Administration to fund wall construction,” the White House said.

Mr Biden ordered the results of the review within two months and in the meantime the only construction on scattered sites from California to Texas will be to safely secure current structures.

It is not clear whether a Biden administration would dissemble Mr Trump’s steel wall, which measures 6m to 8.2m high.

As president he has broad power to cease construction but it will be another matter to extricate the government from contracts.

A lack of communication between Mr Biden and Mr Trump’s transition teams has made it difficult to determine what’s in place.

Mr Biden has said border reform will be wound into his broader immigration policy and indicted his focus will shift from the costly wall or other physical barriers towards beefing up security at ports of entry.

The Drug Enforcement Administration says these points are where most illicit drugs cross the border.

“We need smart, sensible policies that will actually strengthen our ability to catch these real threats by improving screening procedures at our legal ports of entry and investing in new technology,” Mr Biden said when he was campaigning.