Departing from his tendency to flout GOP protocol, Donald Trump on Thursday will take a step to appease the Republican Party by signing a loyalty pledge to endorse its eventual presidential nominee, according to a Politico report.
Trump’s commitment to supporting the Republican primary winner will no doubt ease the Republicans’ worries that Trump could launch a third-party candidacy if he failed to win the nomination—an effort that could steal Republican voters in the general contest. Trump did little to dispute those concerns at the Aug. 6 Republican debate when he refused to take the loyalty pledge.
Trump’s change of heart is an attempt to make sure his name is listed on primary ballots, Politico said, and to avoid the issue being used as an attack line by his opponents.
The decision will lend credibility to his candidacy, which has been seen by some as a publicity stunt, despite his strong polling numbers.
Politico reports that Trump will deliver the completed pledge to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus during a meeting at Trump Tower shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday and the candidate will hold a press conference on an unspecified topic at 2 p.m.