The Independent View: Trump Team Talks of Setting Up Political Arm

Trump’s top advisers are discussing a plan to launch a new Political Organization outside the White House and the Republican Party to harness the energy that powered his populist candidacy, according to people familiar with talks.

While the planning for such a group is still in its infancy, the idea is to create a structure akin to what President Barack Obama did after he won in 2008, when members of his Campaign team launched Organizing for America (OFA).

For Trump, the concept is to tap into the grassroots enthusiasm that led to his unlikely victory, and to keep his supporters engaged for upcoming Legislative battles in Congress. The exact form of the entity, whether it would be a super PAC or a nonprofit like OFA was, remains undecided.

Inside Trump’s orbit, Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway has been among the most vocal proponents of creating such a group, although it is unclear who would actually lead it.

“You need someone who everyone knows is trusted by the president, who is an insider who’s on the outside doing that,” said one Trump adviser.

Trump’s circle of such trusted confidants is exceedingly small, and staffing a third group beyond the White House and the RNC could prove challenging. “The fear is that we would be cannibalizing ourselves,” the adviser said.

Plus, any independent pro-Trump group that is launched would likely make Republican National Committee leaders wary. With Republicans retaining complete control of Congress, an independent group could be used as a cudgel to pressure GOP lawmakers to back Trump’s agenda.

The Trump team is looking at the Obama 2008 model, when OFA supplemented the work of the Democratic National Committee. Obama tapped Mitch Stewart, who had directed his Iowa Caucus Campaign in the Primary and Virginia in the General Election, as the first Director of his nonprofit, which was engaged heavily in the 2009 and 2010 health-care fight.

“It is a little bit of sacrifice for the person who stays behind,” said the Trump adviser.

For now, talk of an outside entity is just that, as Trump’s team primary focus remains on filling out the President-Elect’s Cabinet and West Wing appointments.