Every week, we’ll pick up the latest reports, speculation, and other information related to the 2024 presidential campaign.
In the state of Nevada, you’ll find Las Vegas. The former president’s once-iron grip on the party he created appears to be weakening. He is the undisputed leader of the Republican Party and a formidable opponent in the Republican primary for president in 2024.
On Saturday, in what is largely seen as the first primary GOP cattle call of the next White House race, the former president got strong criticism from party members and contributors at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership conference in Las Vegas.
At the eleventh hour, a distant speaker delivered a live address to the crowd. Trump took the occasion to claim the Republican Party is more powerful and well-known now than it was before he took office.
After nearly two years of minimal interest, Trump formally declared his third presidential run on Tuesday, and his statements on Saturday followed four days later. The ex-confession president was made a week after the midterm elections, which were a resounding defeat for his party. The Republican Party’s dreams for a “red wave” election were crushed as the party lost huge ground in statewide races and the Senate and earned only a slim majority in the House of Representatives.
After the midterms, more and more Republicans have criticized the outgoing president for backing radical MAGA candidates who won the Republican primary but lost in the general election by a razor-thin margin. All of these contenders agreed with Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
“We keep losing and losing, and the reality of the matter is the reason we are losing is that Donald Trump has placed himself above others,” stated former New Jersey governor Chris Christie. Christie was alluding to the Republican Party’s defeats in the most recent midterm elections as well as in 2018 (when the party lost the House majority) and 2020 (when the party lost the White House and the Senate majority).
Stop whispering and start talking normally. We need to stop nodding our heads to indicate agreement over our inability to have a conversation. Christie, a former Trump supporter turned critic, recently remarked, “It’s time to quit being scared of any one guy.” I am ready to go into the fight right now.
Christie is weighing his options for the 2024 presidential election. Formerly a 2016 GOP hopeful, he dropped out of the race and publicly backed Trump instead. Republican and vocal Trump critic Maryland Governor Larry Hogan will shortly be leaving office.
Trump asserted that victory would eventually become the norm. For the last time, I cannot stand seeing our party fall short. In his speech, Hogan lamented that they had once again lost an election despite being the most deserving candidate. In my book, three strikes mean you’re out of the game.
Chris Sununu, governor of New Hampshire, said, “I’ve got a tremendous suggestion for the Republican Party,” to rousing applause. Let’s stop supporting fringe candidates in the primary and start endorsing those with a shot at winning.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who worked closely with Trump for four years, refrained from criticizing him in his Friday night address.
To Fox News, Pence, who will almost probably run for president next year, claimed that “candidates focused on the future fared well” in the midterms. Those who campaigned on tired old arguments or fond memories of the past usually fared poorly in elections.
Upon being questioned if Trump should shoulder some of the blame, the ex-Vice President responded, “I would say my former running mate was one of the ones talking about the past, and that was not helpful.”
An additional Trump cabinet veteran who is seriously considering a run for president is former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who told Fox News that Trump’s statement would not affect his decision.
You’d better think that you’ve got the spine of steel, the intellectual competence, and the audacity to be the commander-in-chief of the most crucial country in the history of civilization if you put yourself up as a candidate for President of the United States,” said one hopeful. And Pompeo said that anyone who thinks it shouldn’t matter if there’s one person running or fifteen is in the wrong position.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who finished second to Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary struggle, appeared to rule himself out of the 2024 White House campaign when he told reporters, “I’m competing for reelection in the Senate.”
In contrast, Cruz didn’t explicitly rule out a run for president, which many saw as a subtle linguistic swipe at Trump.
Cruz has seen that many individuals are quick to bash Trump while lavishing praise on the other contenders.
This highlights the need to select capable individuals for open positions. Cruz remarked that “this is serious business” for “some of the nominees,” noting gubernatorial contenders who “raised next to no money, broadcast no TV advertising, and didn’t truly conduct a campaign.” Don’t try to take on the responsibility of campaign management and fundraising if you lack the skills necessary to do so. For this reason, it really irritates me when my party chooses candidates who have no shot at really winning.
Executive Director of the RJC Matt Brooks said he wasn’t surprised by the criticism of the ex-president.
It’s all hands on deck once a candidate declares their candidacy, as the adage goes. He told Fox News that the early scheduling of the event was indicative of the early start of the 2016 election season.
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is widely considered to be Trump’s most formidable opponent in the race for the presidency in 2024, may have been the summit’s most compelling orator.
Trump gave the keynote address on Saturday afternoon, while DeSantis gave the closing comments on Saturday night.
DeSantis talked passionately about his overwhelming reelection win and his fight against what he calls “woke ideology” in front of a gathering full of key Republican activists and contributors.
To paraphrase the governor, “We’ve done more in a four-year span than anybody thought.”
Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and current ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration, spoke before DeSantis.
Many times throughout her speech, Haley told the gathering, “between us, I’m just getting started,” a remark that many took as an indication that she would run for president as a Republican in 2024.
Haley was asked whether she was planning to run for president, and in response, she said, “A lot of people have asked if I’m going to run for president,” which was met with cheers. Now that the midterm elections are over, I’ll give it some serious thought.
White House communications secretary turned RJC board member Ari Fleischer predicts a surge in consumer spending. And you can feel it in the air.
The general public has an open and receptive attitude. Those considering it may change their minds. According to the seasoned Republican communicator and Fox News contributor, “People want to shop.”