US President Trump campaign takes steps to prevent a challenge within GOP

Washington DC: Worried about a potential Republican primary challenge, President Donald Trump's campaign has launched a state-by-state effort to prevent an intra-party fight that could spill over into the general-election campaign.

The nascent initiative has been an intense focus in recent weeks and includes taking steps to change state party rules, crowd out potential rivals and quell any early signs of opposition that could embarrass the president.

It is an acknowledgement that Trump, who effectively hijacked the Republican Party in 2016, hasn't completely cemented his grip on the GOP and, in any event, is not likely to coast to the 2020 GOP nomination without some form of opposition.

While any primary challenge would almost certainly be unsuccessful, Trump aides are looking to prevent a repeat of the convention discord that highlighted the electoral weaknesses of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter in their failed re-election campaigns.

To defend against that prospect, Trump's campaign has deployed what it calls an unprecedented effort to monitor and influence local party operations. It has used endorsements, lobbying and rule changes to increase the likelihood that only loyal Trump activists make it to the Republican nominating convention in August 2020.

Bill Stepien, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, calls it all a "process of ensuring that the national convention is a television commercial for the president for an audience of 300 million and not an internal fight."

One early success for Trump's campaign was in Massachusetts, where Trump backer and former state Rep Jim Lyons last month defeated the candidate backed by Massachusetts Republican Gov Charlie Baker, a Trump critic, to serve as the state party chairman.

"We have a constant focus on tracking everything regarding this process," Stepien said.

"Who's running, what their level of support for the president is and what their vote counts are."

The campaign's work extends beyond state party leadership races, which are taking place in many key states in the coming weeks.

Trump's team plans to organize at county and state caucuses and conventions over the next 18 months to elevate pro-Trump leaders and potential delegates. Ahead of the convention, it aims to have complete control of the convention agenda, rules and platform and to identify any potential trouble-makers well in advance.

That sort of organization is a leap from Trump's 2016 delegate operation, which faced challenges by anti-Trump activists in the party. Trump aides say it's the most aggressive effort ever launched to protect an incumbent.

Nick Trainer, a White House veteran named last month as the campaign's director of delegates and party organization, is leading a team of three to coordinate with state and local parties in the run-up to the convention.

Yet the efforts to protect Trump simply highlight his vulnerability, said an adviser to one potential Republican opponent.