Pat Buchanan: Trump as Nominee Could Transition GOP to ‘a Different, New, Exciting, Robust Party’

Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” conservative commentator Pat Buchanan discussed what the eventual nomination of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump could mean to the GOP.

Buchanan told fill-in host Tucker Carlson it would open up a lot of new possibilities for the Republican Party, especially if he is able to ultimately win over those who are currently supporting GOP presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

“I think if you get Trump as the nominee, his potential is going to those states where he did well — Michigan and I think he’s going to do well in Pennsylvania and New Jersey,” Buchanan said. “Go to those Rust Belt states, go after the Bernie Sanders Democrats, you know, white working-class folks, Reagan Democrats, and go and put together that kind of coalition. If he can get the Cruz people with him, I think you have the makings of a different, new, exciting, robust party.”

Buchanan was not as optimistic for Cruz as the nominee. He argued Cruz would lose many of Trump’s current supporters in a general election.

“Frankly, some of them came out to vote against Trump, but most of them came out to vote for Trump because he’s a populist conservative, he’s going to secure the border, make America great,” Buchanan added. “All of these things as positive, optimistic outlooks. I think if Cruz takes it away from Trump, I think an awful lot of those folks just go home.”

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor

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