Donald Trump will address the Libertarian Party national convention, in a move that promises publicity for America's largest "third party" while giving Trump an opportunity to shake some non-uniparty votes in his direction.
At the same time, however, Trump puts himself at risk of enduring hostile elements in the crowd, aimed at a candidate with many decidedly non-libertarian tendencies. Trump's pending appearance has also exacerbated some divisions within the Libertarian Party, with some members are questioning the wisdom and propriety of putting Trump in the Libertarian spotlight, and others saying it's a smart move for multiple reasons.
"For 50 years, we’ve been trying to get our candidates on the main stage with major party POTUS candidates and we’ve finally succeeded in bringing one to our stage," said Libertarian Party chairwoman Angela McArdle. "We will do everything in our power to use this incredible opportunity to advance the message of liberty.”
Trump, who will have a Saturday, May 25 slot at the 4-day Washington DC convention, described his upcoming hosts in glowing terms:
“Libertarians are some of the most independent and thoughtful thinkers in our Country, and I am honored to join them...We must all work together to help advance freedom and liberty for every American, and a second Trump Administration will achieve that goal.”
Libertarian Party conventions can get a little wild, so it's going to be interesting to see what kind of reception Trump receives. Here's a sampling of Trump resume items that repel many libertarians:
On social media, party members debated the wisdom and propriety of putting Trump in the Libertarian spotlight. Some opponents said it proved that the 2022 Mises Caucus takeover of the party was a MAGA conspiracy...
Dave Smith, on the other hand, told his Twitter followers to "ignore all the ridiculous conspiracy theories," calling the Trump appearance "undeniably a great thing...[that] will generate more attention on our party and the issues that we care about than we’ve ever had...This isn’t an endorsement of Trump, it’s an endorsement of relevance and a desire to engage with the real world."
Trump isn't the only candidate cultivating friendly relations with libertarians. Having previously said that he's "always been aligned with libertarians on most issues," independent Robert F. Kennedy, Jr spoke at the California Libertarian convention in February and considered pursuing the party's nomination -- and its turnkey, 50-state ballot access -- before announcing he'd remain an independent.