'I am not starting a new party': In CPAC speech, Trump says he is committed to the GOP

• Former President Trump shut down the rumors of possibly creating a new political party.
• "We have the Republican Party," he said. "It's going to unite and be stronger than ever before."
• The WSJ previously reported that Trump had considered forming a "Patriot Party."

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday firmly shut down the rumors of him possibly creating a new political party outside of the GOP.

In January, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had discussed launching a new party, the "Patriot Party," with several close aides and trusted friends.

However, the former president threw cold water on such talk at the outset of his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida.

"We're not starting new parties," Trump said. "You know, they kept saying, 'He's going to start a brand new party.' That was fake news. Fake News. Wouldn't that be brilliant? Let's start a new party. Let's divide our vote so that we can never win."

He emphasized: "No, we're not interested in that. We have the Republican Party. It's going to unite and be stronger than ever before. I am not starting a new party."

In a CPAC straw poll of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Trump came in first place, garnering 55% of the vote. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second place with 21% of the vote.

However, only 68% of the straw poll respondents indicated that they wanted Trump to run again in 2024, while 95% of respondents want the party to support the former president's policies.

While alluding to a possible 2024 presidential campaign, Trump still refused to acknowledge his election loss, which he spent months trying to overturn through various election pressure campaigns against GOP officials across the country.