White House hopeful Donald Trump has signed a
party pledge not to run as an independent candidate if he loses the
Republican Party's nomination.
"I see no circumstances under which I would tear up that pledge," he said in a news conference at Trump Towers in New York City.The real estate baron made the announcement following a meeting with Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus.
The party has asked its pool of 17 candidates to sign a non-legally binding loyalty pledge to ensure future party unity, which analysts say was aimed directly at Mr Trump.
The billionaire businessman was booed in a televised debate last month when he refused to rule out a third-party campaign if Republicans did not pick him as their White House candidate.
Party chiefs fear an independent campaign by Mr Trump could suck votes away from the eventual Republican nominee, thereby handing victory to the Democratic candidate, which many strategists expect to be Hillary Clinton.
In Thursday's news conference, Mr Trump taunted rival Jeb Bush as "sad" and a "very low-energy person".
"It's not going to work, people want an uplifting hopeful message," the younger brother of former President George W Bush told ABC's Good Morning America on Thursday.
Meanwhile, protesters angered by comments Mr Trump has made about Mexican immigrants being "drug dealers, criminals and rapists" have demonstrated outside Trump Towers in New York.
He responded by saying: "It's (America) is a country based on borders and our country is based on laws. And when people come illegally we cannot allow that, and this is not from South America or Mexico - this is from all over the world."
He added: "We are a nation that wants and needs borders."
The Monmouth University survey showed he had racked up 30% support - up four points from a poll taken just before the TV debate.
Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon, vaulted 13 points to second place in the same survey to 18%.
Jeb Bush fell from second place to 8%, tying for third place with Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Ross Perot's third party bid in 1992 is sometimes said to have cost George H W Bush a second term in the White House and allowed Bill Clinton to win.
However, polls back then showed Perot supporters were split right down the middle in their second choice between Mr Bush and Mr Clinton.






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