Donald Trump’s ‘Patriot Party’ plans to destroy Republicans

Donald Trump’s new Patriot Party plans to destroy his enemies among the Republican party with a $70 million war chest. This is how.

Donald Trump’s plans to create a “Patriot Party” are reportedly moving ahead, with the former president drawing up an enemies list of Republicans to target in primary challenges, armed with a $US70 million war chest.

Sources in the 74-year-old’s circle told The Washington Post the threat is intended to give him leverage to put pressure on Republican Senators to vote against convicting him in his impeachment trial next month.

Behind closed doors at Mar-a-Lago, Mr Trump is reportedly instructing aides to prepare primary challenges against Republicans who opposed his claims of election fraud, or voted in the House to impeach him over his role in the deadly January 6 Capitol riots.

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Donald Trump’s new Patriot Party plans to destroy his enemies among the Republican party with a $70 million war chest. Picture: Alex Edelman/AFP

The list is said to include Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, the number three Republican in the House, who led a group of 10 colleagues in voting with Democrats for impeachment, and South Carolina Representative Tom Rice.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is also reportedly on the list after refusing to back his challenge to the state’s election results; while Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is in Mr Trump’s sights after she declared she was open to convicting him in the impeachment trial.

Advisers to the former president said they plan to recruit opposing primary candidates and commission polling as early as next week, in the districts of those on the hit list.

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Representative Tom Rice is in the firing line for supporting the Democrats’ vote to impeach Mr Trump. Picture: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, who led the charge. Picture: Saul Loeb/AFP

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp refused to back the former president’s challenge of his state’s election results. Picture: Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP

Senator Lisa Murkowski said she was open to voting to convict Mr Trump in his impeachment trial. Picture: Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP

As to where Mr Trump – who stepped straight from the Oval Office into a “financial minefield” according to a report by The New York Times – will get the money to fund his new party, sources say he has at least $US70 million ($A90.5 million) in campaign cash on hand.

While tapped out on Election Day last year, the Trump campaign and several allied groups raised $US207 million ($A267 million) between November 3 and November 23 for his push to challenge the election results.

Mr Trump made his first public comments since leaving office over the weekend, promising he would make a comeback in some form.

“We’ll do something, but not just yet,” Mr Trump told journalist Rob Crilly from the Washington Examiner, while dining at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

As for what that “something” is, one of his key advisers Jason Miller revealed in a podcast interview with Carrie Sheffield from Just the News,his boss was focused on election integrity.

Mr Miller said Mr Trump intended to help Republicans win back the House and Senate in 2022 “to make sure that we can stop the Democratic craziness”, and that “you’re also going to see him emerge as the nation’s leader on ballot and voting integrity”.