{"id":2340564,"date":"2024-09-13T07:52:56","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T11:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/libertarians-dance-with-trump-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-13T07:57:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T11:57:37","slug":"libertarians-dance-with-trump-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/libertarians-dance-with-trump-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Libertarians dance with Trump &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flibertarians-dance-with-trump-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2340564&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses \u200bthe evolving relationship between \u200bthe Libertarian Party and Donald Trump as he seeks the presidency\u200d in 2024. At the Libertarian National Convention in May, Trump\u2064 pledged to commute \u200cthe sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the creator \u200cof the Silk Road, which resonated with \u2063Libertarians seeking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">criminal justice reform<\/a>. This marked a significant moment for the party, traditionally distanced from \u200bmainstream politics, as they considered making deals with a \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nolte-polls-show-hobbled-biden-limping-into-sotu-trailing-trump-in-rematch\/\" title=\"Nolte: Polls Show Hobbled Biden Limping Into SOTU, Trailing Trump in Rematch\">major party candidate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While some Libertarians were pleased with Trump&#8217;s promises, others expressed concerns\u200d about aligning with a \u200bfigure they\u2063 often view as contrary to their principles. Trump&#8217;s \u2064provocative claim\u200b that\u200d Libertarians \u2063should\u200d join forces with the Republican Party was met \u2064with mixed reactions, as many attendees\u2063 booed his remarks.<\/p>\n<p>The Libertarian Party&#8217;s new leadership,\u200c particularly under\u2063 Chairwoman Angela McArdle,\u2063 has focused on coalition-building and political outreach rather \u200dthan solely running\u2062 independent candidates. McArdle noted that meetings with Trump&#8217;s team were aimed at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-un-pick-urges-continued-u-s-presence-in-chinese-led-panels\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s UN pick urges continued U.S. presence in Chinese-led panels\">finding common ground<\/a>, which may \u2062lead\u2062 to real legislative changes if Trump is elected.<\/p>\n<p>The shift indicates a significant strategic change for the Libertarian Party, moving toward\u2064 transactional\u2063 politics to potentially enhance their influence\u200b and achieve results on issues important to \u2063their base. However, this\u200d approach \u200dhas also led\u2063 to internal conflicts within the party, highlighting a division between \u2062those favoring traditional libertarian\u200c autonomy and those open to strategic alliances for political leverage.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-sacff-txt\">Magazine &#8211; Feature <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Libertarians dance with Trump<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1664616\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;If you vote for me, on day one, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht,&rdquo; former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/05\/25\/trump-commute-ross-ulbricht-sentence-libertarian-convention-00160025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said at the<\/a> Libertarian National Convention in May. In July, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/donald-trump-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-stockpile-6f1314f5e99bbf47cc3ee6fc6178588d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said at<\/a> a Bitcoin conference, where many Libertarians were present, &ldquo;Today I repeat my promise to commute the sentence of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/623878\/silk-road-founder-facing-end-of-white-house-pardon-hopes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ross Ulbricht<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Many Trump supporters wondered, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3017931\/ross-ulbricht-prison-inmate-key-trump-libertarian-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Who is Ross Ulbricht<\/a>?&rdquo; It was the first time most of them had ever heard this name.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the Libertarian Party National Convention at the Washington Hilton on May 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ulbricht was the creator of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/silk-road\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Silk Road<\/a>, a website that enabled drug-selling. He&rsquo;s been imprisoned since 2013, serving two life sentences plus 40 years, virtually guaranteeing he will die in prison. Libertarians have long contended that his case is an example of government overreach and shows the need for criminal justice reform. You will find his mother, Lyn Ulbricht, at almost every Libertarian event, lobbying to free her son, with &ldquo;Free Ross&rdquo; signs scattered everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>So when the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/libertarian-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Libertarian Party<\/a> hosted the eventual Republican presidential nominee at its convention, it asked if he would free Ulbricht by commuting his sentence if reelected to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>White House<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Trump said yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ulbricht himself was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealRossU\/status\/1794865086135521737\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>elated<\/a>. Many Libertarians were not because this was brand-new territory for their party.<\/p>\n<p>Many big-l Libertarians are such because they reject the two major parties in general. For many, Trump is offensive, in particular. Those for whom being a libertarian is an integral part of their identity reflexively hate the idea of making deals with Trump. Some have strong philosophical and policy-oriented reasons, but some do whittle down to simplistic, left-tinged, &ldquo;Orange Man Bad&rdquo; prejudices.<\/p>\n<p>Trump heard from those scorned libertarians plenty during his convention speech.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The fact is we should not be fighting each other,&rdquo; Trump told the convention on May 26.<\/p>\n<p>The crowd booed loudly.<\/p>\n<p>An undeterred Trump continued, &ldquo;If Joe Biden gets back in, there will be no more liberty for anyone in our country. Combine with us in a partnership, we&rsquo;re asking that of the Libertarians. We must work together.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>They still booed.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Maybe you don&rsquo;t want to win,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;Keep getting your 3% every four years.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He had a point. While the Libertarian Party runs candidates at many different local and state levels, the most attention it gets on a national scale is when its candidate runs for president. Gary Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico, ran as the Libertarian presidential pick in 2012 and 2016, getting more votes than any other candidate in party history. His 3.3% of the vote in the second of those elections was its largest vote share ever.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s not nothing. It was a grand achievement that the party could rightly hang its hat on.<\/p>\n<p>But other Libertarians are now asking, essentially, that if merely being a Libertarian is fine, what does that really get you? What&rsquo;s the point?<\/p>\n<p>Should being a Libertarian be about getting or achieving <em>something?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Trump has vowed to put a libertarian in his Cabinet. He has promised libertarians he will abolish the Department of Education. Julian Assange came up during Trump&rsquo;s meeting with party officials, two months before<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> Biden<\/a> made a deal not to imprison the WikiLeaks founder if he pleaded guilty to a felony charge. Other issues were also discussed.<\/p>\n<p>There is a Libertarian presidential candidate running this year, Chase Oliver. But while, in the past, all of the party&rsquo;s energy would be focused on his campaign, the new leadership has made the conscious decision to try to get concessions from one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-forecasted-to-take-225-255-house-seats-in-midterms\/\" title=\"GOP Forecasted to Take 225-255 House Seats in Midterms\">major party candidates<\/a> likely to win the White House.<\/p>\n<p>If Trump wins and follows through on some of his promises, the party could stand to see some causes it has championed become victories.<\/p>\n<p>This type of coalition-based transactional politics is something that&rsquo;s never been done before in the history of the party. After Democrat-turned-independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump in August &mdash; Kennedy also spoke at this year&rsquo;s Libertarian National Convention &mdash; Libertarian Party Chairwoman Angela McArdle <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/angela4LNCChair\/status\/1827056981858742366\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>wrote<\/a> on X, &ldquo;Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is dropping out of his first POTUS race. [The Libertarian Party] will continue to support Chase Oliver and maintain a good relationship with Kennedy and the Trump campaign on areas of agreement.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Issue coalitions are a top priority and we appreciate the broad coalitions Trump and Kennedy have been building,&rdquo; she wrote. &ldquo;Coalition work is the new face of politics.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Within that 2024 coalition, Kennedy voters could matter. Kennedy himself could wind up with a significant role in a Trump administration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Libertarian voters might find themselves mattering, too. In a tight race between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, Republicans might need some of the 4.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-secretary-of-state-there-will-be-a-recount\/\" title=\"Georgia Secretary of State: &#039;There Will Be a Recount&#039;\">5 million votes cast<\/a> for Johnson in 2016 or the 1.8 million votes Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen received in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Should Libertarians settle for another massive presidential race defeat, or is leadership right to try something different this election cycle?<\/p>\n<p>This change has also come with a coup of sorts in leadership, where in 2022 the right-leaning, paleolibertarian Mises Caucus replaced the old party guard. The new leaders are inherently less likely to dismiss ideas or alliances associated with the GOP simply because it is the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>McArdle told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> her party&rsquo;s unconventional strategy of working with Trump began with people around Team Trump reaching out to Libertarians first.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Someone adjacent to the campaign reached out to me six months ahead of time, just looking to sort of test the waters, see what my appetite might be to work together on a couple of things,&rdquo; McArdle explained. &ldquo;To see how libertarians in general felt about President Trump and try to get feedback. I felt like it was good-faith outreach, and I returned it in kind. No one was knocking down my door for an endorsement or anything that was really over the top.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>McArdle made clear that she didn&rsquo;t come to Trump with a list of demands but was gauging where he and Libertarians might be able to work together, including getting Libertarians into his administration in high and low levels. &ldquo;It was a very conversational tone,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I wanted to see where he was at.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Libertarian Party, to my knowledge, has never been approached by a former president and likely presidential nominee or winner,&rdquo; she explained. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that had ever happened. I wanted to see, how do you feel about this topic, how do you feel about that topic?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>McArdle was asked if she now believes using the party&rsquo;s small but substantive voter base leverage to influence major candidates should become a recurring party practice in addition to running its own presidential candidates every four years.<\/p>\n<p>Without hesitation, she responded, &ldquo;100%. That&rsquo;s exactly what I&rsquo;m doing. It&rsquo;s interesting because my predecessors in the party talked about doing it. [Former Libertarian Party Chairman] Nick Sarwark&rsquo;s famous quote is &lsquo;your tears are delicious and your parties will die.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>McArdle explained how her approach on this front is a gentler one: &ldquo;The bigger context to that is that they would have to cater to us or we will spoil their elections. I take a different tone. I&rsquo;m not the spoiler. I&rsquo;m a fixer.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Trump&rsquo;s campaign and his advisers were smart enough to try to reach out and have discussions,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;And anybody that does that, I&rsquo;m going to treat them well, and I&rsquo;m going to do everything that I can to move them in the right direction.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is new for the party,&rdquo; McArdle emphasized. &ldquo;People are not happy about it, believe it or not. But I&rsquo;m excited about it. I think it&rsquo;s the correct thing to do, and other people in the party are catching on and doing it as well.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>We asked what she thought might be the breakdown between Libertarians who are happy with this new direction and those who don&rsquo;t like it.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I would say that 40% of the delegates to our national convention were very mad about it,&rdquo; she replied. &ldquo;Now we had 1,000 delegates. Let&rsquo;s say 400 people who are really mad and let&rsquo;s say they each have a friend who was, like, really mad. So maybe there&rsquo;s 800-ish people who are very, very angry about it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But what does that compare to the number of registered Libertarians there are in the country?&rdquo; she asked. &ldquo;People who are dues-paying members. People who consider themselves Libertarian. The people who complain are just a small, noisy minority.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Libertarian Party in 2021 had about 650,000 registered members nationally.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d say that meeting with Donald Trump and talking to Republicans, to the extent that Democrats would want to talk to us, we&rsquo;d do that, too,&rdquo; McArdle said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re leaving the bubble. That&rsquo;s how we advance liberty.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>McArdle described a recent reaction within the Montana Libertarian Party of its leader, Liam McCollum, meeting with Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy at a Trump rally. McCollum was there to discuss Sheehy supporting the Defend the Guard Act, which would prevent states&rsquo; National Guards from being deployed overseas without a congressional declaration of war.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;People were like, &lsquo;Oh my gosh, you can&rsquo;t go to a Trump rally,&rsquo;&rdquo; McArdle said. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t understand that you have to go outside of Libertarian events to meet non-Libertarians and advance policy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to McCollum, Sheehy, a retired Navy SEAL and Purple Heart recipient who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, endorsed the Defend the Guard Act. Sheehy is the front-runner in the Montana Senate race. He is facing incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).<\/p>\n<p>The Libertarian Party chairwoman described her frustration with fellow party members who believe outreach to the major parties is somehow bad. &ldquo;What do you think happens when you get elected?&rdquo; she asked. &ldquo;That you just sit in an office apart from everyone else and you don&rsquo;t interact with the other people who were also elected to office?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very juvenile outlook on politics that I think some of the party cultist types, as they call them, have,&rdquo; McArdle added. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re breaking out of that mold.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While many Libertarians might not like this new strategy, many others are eager to see if it bears fruit, giving Libertarians policy victories they have rarely achieved through their party at the ballot box.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Right now, paradoxically, we&rsquo;re the least likely to get elected, but we are the most powerful voting bloc in the country,&rdquo; McArdle added.<\/p>\n<p>If the margin between Trump and Harris is as razor-thin as the polls forecast, it might not take much for Libertarians to shape the outcome.<\/p>\n<p><em>Jack Hunter (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jackhunter74\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>@jackhunter74<\/a>) is a contributor to the&nbsp;<\/em>Washington Examiner&rsquo;s<em>&nbsp;Beltway Confidential blog. He is the former political editor of <\/em>Rare.us<em> and co-authored the 2011 book&nbsp;<\/em>The Tea Party Goes to Washington<em>&nbsp;with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1664616\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1664616\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Magazine &#8211; Feature: Libertarians Engage with Trump**<\/p>\n<p>At the Libertarian National Convention in May, former President Donald Trump declared, \u201cIf you vote for me, on day one, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht.\u201d He reiterated this promise at a Bitcoin conference in July attended by many Libertarians. This announcement left many of his supporters puzzled about who Ulbricht was; it was a name they had not encountered before.<\/p>\n<p>Ulbricht is known as the founder of Silk Road, an online platform that facilitated drug sales. Since 2013, he has been serving two life sentences plus an additional 40 years in prison, effectively ensuring he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Libertarians have long viewed his case as a prime example of government overreach and have advocated for criminal justice reform. Lyn Ulbricht, Ross&#8217;s mother, is a familiar face at Libertarian events where she campaigns for her son&#8217;s release with \u201cFree Ross\u201d signs prominently displayed.<\/p>\n<p>When Trump spoke at the convention hosted by the Libertarian Party\u2014where he was recognized as the likely Republican presidential nominee\u2014he agreed to consider commuting Ulbricht\u2019s sentence if re-elected. While this thrilled Ulbricht himself, it sparked mixed reactions among many within the party who typically reject alliances with major political parties like Trump&#8217;s GOP.<\/p>\n<p>For some hardcore libertarians whose identity is deeply tied to their beliefs against both major parties, collaborating with Trump feels distasteful. Their objections range from principled philosophical stances to more simplistic biases against him due to his controversial reputation.<\/p>\n<p>During his speech at the convention on May 26th, Trump faced significant booing when he suggested that libertarians should unite rather than fight amongst themselves. He warned that if Joe Biden were re-elected there would be no liberty left in America and urged collaboration between Republicans and Libertarians\u2014a plea met with further disapproval from parts of the audience.<\/p>\n<p>Trump pointed out that while they could continue receiving only 3% of votes every four years without forming alliances or making compromises\u2014an observation grounded in reality given past election results where Gary Johnson garnered 3.3% in 2016\u2014the party needed to reconsider its approach if it wanted greater influence.<\/p>\n<p>The current leadership within the Libertarian Party has shifted since being taken over by right-leaning factions like Mises Caucus in 2022; these new leaders are more open to engaging with Republicans than their predecessors were. McArdle noted how discussions began when members close to Trump&#8217;s campaign reached out six months prior to gauge interest among libertarians for potential collaboration on various issues including placing libertarians within Trump&#8217;s administration and abolishing certain government departments like Education.<\/p>\n<p>This outreach represents a significant shift for a party historically resistant to aligning itself closely with either major political faction but now appears willing to explore coalitions based on shared interests\u2014even considering support from voters aligned with candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently endorsed Trump after exiting his own presidential bid.<\/p>\n<p>As McArdle emphasized during her discussions about outreach efforts: &#8220;We\u2019re leaving our bubble,&#8221; indicating an intent not just limited solely towards traditional campaigning but also towards influencing policy through strategic partnerships across party lines\u2014a move some members resist while others see potential benefits from such collaborations leading up toward elections where every vote could matter significantly amidst tight races between candidates like Trump and Kamala Harris<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3428,"featured_media":2340565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feat.Libertarian1-1024x591.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[11610,40806,5894,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2340564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dance","tag-libertarianism","tag-politics","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feat.Libertarian1-1024x591.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3428"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2340564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2340565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2340564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2340564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2340564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}