Donald Trump’s Possible 2024 Run Will Destroy Current Republican Party, Former Lawmaker Says
During a Sunday appearance on MSNBC, former Republican lawmaker David Jolly spoke to host Alex Witt about the danger the GOP faces if Donald Trump runs for president in 2024, Raw Story reported.
“But Alex, if Donald Trump announces or intends to play in 2024, he will break the back of the Republican Party,” Jolly said.
“And I would say welcome to a viable third party political movement because either the Democrats will expand their coalition or you will see a third party emerge if Donald Trump tries to keep control through 2024.”
As The Inquisitr reported, the president is allegedly planning to announce a 2024 run after delaying the certification of the election results as long as possible. CNN’s Chris Cillizza also argued that Trump is the clear Republican presidential front runner for the 2024 nomination. The commentator claimed that the commander in chief is the sole face of the party at the moment and wields a significant degree of influence over the organization.
According to Jolly, a Trump 2024 run will likely push some Republicans to look for an exit from the current GOP. In particular, he said that “leading republicans” like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will begin to push for “passing the torch” in a gentle manner around 2022 when they are in the middle of their respective election cycles.
“They will do so gently, but leading Republicans with their eyes on their future, know that they have to get out from underneath Donald Trump.”
Still, not everyone is convinced Trump will follow through with his alleged 2024 plans. As reported by Business Insider, the president’s niece, Mary Trump, claimed that the U.S. leader would avoid the scenario out of a fear of losing. She also speculated that his health would be too weak in 2024 to continue with the rigors of another term in the White House. Her claim contradicted the head of state’s former chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who said that her uncle would “absolutely” be running in 2024 and would be fit enough to run even in 2028.
Whether Trump runs in 2024 or not, the battle for control of the Republican Party has already begun, according to The Guardian. The publication noted that some prominent GOP figures have broken with the U.S. leader amid his claims that the election was influenced by widespread fraud and stolen from him. Notably, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan allegedly called Trump’s claims “outrageous.” Elsewhere, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney — who has been openly critical of the head of state — called the plan “reckless.”
