Cheneycotton2016.com is an official thing, and the backer has some weight to throw. The very possibility of a Donald Trump nom has led William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, to barnstorm for a Cheney/Cotton ticket, starting with an official website.
Records indicate that Kristol went ahead and registered the domain cheneycotton2016.com Sept. 8, showing just how eager he is to not only throw his support from the sidelines, but to actively get the ball rolling.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney and Republican Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas have strong reputations as foreign policy hawks, a line often supported by Kristol and The Weekly Standard. Kristol made clear exactly how he felt about the billionaire developer in July by saying he was “finished with Donald Trump,” after Trump said Sen. John McCain was only considered a war hero because he was captured while serving in Vietnam. Kristol fired off a series of tweets, telling Trump to drop out of the presidential race.
Trump told him in response that “your small and slightly failing magazine will be a giant success when you finally back Trump. Country will soar!” A visit to Kristol’s site at this point reveals an “under construction” message and a request to check back later. Over the last several days, Kristol has escalated hints that Cheney and Cotton would make a solid team.
Kristol recently tweeted a link on CNN and added the note, “Idea of a Cheney-Cotton ticket picks up momentum!” In one of his tweets he even linked directly to cheneycotton2016.com, but what Kristol didn’t add is that he’s actually registered the domain. On Sept. 3, Trump signed the Republic National Committee’s loyalty pledge, assuring that he will support the Republican Party’s 2016 nominee and will not run as a third-party candidate even if he fails to get the nomination.
Five days later, Kristol registered the domain. The Republican National Committee did not respond to a request for comment on whether it’s worried that a third-party would take votes away from the GOP nominee. Additionally, Cotton’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by press time on his plans for 2016.
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