According to a new report from New York Magazine’s Ben Jacobs, there are a few Republicans looking to boot Donald Trump out of his spot as the “face” of the Republican Party as they gear up for the 2024 presidential election — but they’re still forced to keep one close eye on the former guy, who’s known for his bad attitude when he feels betrayed or slighted in some way, as they navigate their own potential bids to boot him out for good.
There’s no denying that Trump’s chances of being the 2024 GOP presidential nominee almost solely hinge on his mounting legal woes. And while we just had the last presidential election, the next one isn’t really all that far away. With that being said, Republicans with any sort of hope for making their own bid, especially if Trump ends up cut out of the running due to his issues, are getting an early jump on primary states to make a name for themselves. Apparently, some Republican strategists are beginning to wonder if Trump could even win, even if he did make it to the nomination.
Jacobs writes, “…there’s something unusual about the invisible primary this time: the lurking presence of Trump. Potential candidates have to navigate not just the potential for him to run again for the Republican nomination in 2024, but the risk of doing anything to raise the ire of the South Florida retiree.”
“In conversations with over a dozen Republican activists and operatives, both in early states and nationally, everyone thought that there was a chance that the former president could run again and everyone had their own odds,” the report reads. “Some thought it was unlikely, some thought it was likely but the one thing everyone agreed upon is that Trump’s final decision was impossible to predict and to plan for. One Republican close to a potential 2024 candidate compared it to ‘being hit by a meteor. There’s nothing you can do to control that.'”
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One campaign consultant reportedly fears that Trump may be overblown while a whole lot of Republicans are worried that Trump will win the nomination only to lose again in a repeat of 2020.
Republican activist Bob Vander Plaats explains, “Even the base that loves Trump is not so sure he should run. I don’t know that he’s going to be able to win. He’ll be able to win the primary but will he win the general? And the calculation of so many of the base is that we love what President Trump has done… but we need to win.”
One GOP operative who wished to remain anonymous added, “People are showing up and listening to other potential candidates and they are going to keep coming out. There is a lot of fertile ground for a Republican not named Trump.”
Former Sen. Rick Santorum advisor and veteran Republican strategist John Brabender offered up his own explanation, saying, “The group of people who believe wholeheartedly in the Trump agenda and thought his style and manner was exactly what we needed to have happen, versus the group that was wholeheartedly in support with his agenda but uncomfortable with his style and manner.”
Jacobs lists the potential Trump challengers who have or will be appearing in the crucial state of Iowa as — Tom Cotton, Nikki Haley, Kristi Noem, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, Rick Scott, Tim Scott, Ted Cruz, Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Marco Rubio, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is, of course, at the top of that totem pole at present time, but Jacobs notes that “With a re-election bid coming up in the perpetually purple state of Florida and the ever-watchful eye of Trump upon him, DeSantis has made clear that he is not traveling to early states in the foreseeable future.”
You can read the full report here.
Featured image via Political Tribune gallery
