Add one more name to the list of possible presidential contenders actively seeking the tea party mantle: Donald Trump has confirmed he will headline the South Florida Tea Party’s tax day rally on April 16.
“We had a couple of tea party polls on our website, and [Trump] was always head and shoulders above pretty much everyone else,” said Everett Wilkinson, chairman of South Florida Tea Party and state coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots.
But if Trump is serious about running, he’s still got some work to do, Wilkinson said.
“I wouldn’t call him tea party yet,” Wilkinson said. “He does embrace this whole ideology, cutting spending, and looking at the tax code … but right now I think he’s just looking at how, if he were to run for president, he’d be received in various groups.”
If history repeats itself, Trump’s participation in the rally—the third annual event for the South Florida branch—could be a good omen for his political ambitions. “Three years ago, we had an unknown speaker speak at the event," Wilkinson pointed out. "His name was Marco Rubio.”
This year, Rubio will be joining Amy Kremer, who chairs the Tea Party Express, at a tax day rally in Tampa, she tells National Journal.
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