Raw: [The rapprochement represents the latest turn in the ongoing, hot-cold relationship between Trump and the conservative organization.]
Skip to Main Content
POLITICO
Politico Logo
Congress
Pro
E&E News
Search
Search
WASHINGTON & POLITICS
Congress
White House
Elections
Legal
Magazine
Foreign Affairs
2024 ELECTIONS
News
Results
GOP Candidate Tracker
STATE POLITICS & POLICY
California
Florida
New Jersey
New York
GLOBAL POLITICS & POLICY
Brussels
Canada
United Kingdom
POLICY NEWS
Agriculture
Cannabis
Cybersecurity
Defense
Education
Energy & Environment
Finance & Tax
Health Care
Immigration
Labor
Sustainability
Technology
Trade
Transportation
NEWSLETTERS
Playbook
Playbook PM
West Wing Playbook
POLITICO Nightly
POLITICO Weekend
The Recast
Inside Congress
All Newsletters
COLUMNISTS
Alex Burns
John Harris
Jonathan Martin
Michael Schaffer
Jack Shafer
Nahal Toosi
Rich Lowry
SERIES & MORE
Breaking News Alerts
Podcasts
Video
The Fifty
Women Rule
Matt Wuerker Cartoons
Cartoon Carousel
POLITICO Live
Upcoming Events
Previous Events
Follow us
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
My Account
Log In
Log Out
Exclusive
Trump buries hatchet with Club for Growth
The rapprochement represents the latest turn in the ongoing, hot-cold relationship between Trump and the conservative organization.
The complex relationship between Donald Trump and the Club for Growth dates back to the 2016 Republican primary, when the anti-tax group spent heavily to stop Trump from winning the nomination. | Matt Rourke/AP
By Alex Isenstadt
02/10/2024 12:39 PM EST
Link Copied
Former President Donald Trump and the Club for Growth appear to have buried the hatchet.
After being at war with each other for the past year, Trump and Club for Growth President David McIntosh met for dinner Wednesday evening at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., according to two people with knowledge of the sit-down. McIntosh is also flying with Trump on Saturday to South Carolina, where the former president is campaigning ahead of the state’s Feb. 24 Republican primary.
The rapprochement represents the latest turn in the ongoing, hot-cold relationship between Trump and the conservative organization. Tensions had been especially high between the two sides over the past year, when a Club for Growth-affiliated outside group waged an unsuccessful multi-million-dollar TV ad campaign aimed at sinking Trump in early primary states. The Club-linked group halted its anti-Trump effort last August, after it became clear it wasn’t working.
The complex relationship between Trump and the Club for Growth dates back to the 2016 Republican primary, when the anti-tax group spent heavily to stop Trump from winning the nomination. But Trump and McIntosh, a former Indiana congress member, forged a relationship during his presidency that carried over to Trump’s post-White House years, when McIntosh emerged as an informal adviser.
Trump and McIntosh, however, split during the 2022 Ohio Senate primary, when Trump backed J.D. Vance and the Club for Growth endorsed a rival candidate, Josh Mandel. At one point during the race, Trump sent a vulgar text message, through his assistant, to McIntosh when it became apparent that the Club for Growth wasn’t standing down in its support for Mandel. Vance would go on to win the election.
Early the next year, McIntosh told reporters that Republicans should be open to another candidate besides Trump in the 2024 election. Shortly after, the Club for Growth did not extend an invitation to Trump to a donor retreat it was hosting, though it did invite other Republican presidential candidates.
After the Club for Growth launched its
anti-Trump afilitate in July 2023, Trump blasted the group, calling it the “Club for No Growth.”
Filed under:
GOP,
Donald Trump,
Donald Trump 2024,
Club For Growth,
2024 Elections
POLITICO
Link Copied
About Us
Advertising
Breaking News Alerts
Careers
Credit Card Payments
Digital Edition
FAQ
Feedback
Headlines
Photos
POWERJobs
Press
Print Subscriptions
Request A Correction
Write For Us
RSS
Site Map
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information and Opt Out of Targeted Advertising
© 2024 POLITICO LLC
