Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is predicting that former President Trump will not be the Republican Party nominee for president come 2024, pointing to the loss of GOP control of the House, Senate, and White House under the former president.
“That’s a theoretical that I don’t think will come to pass,” Cassidy said to CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” Sunday. “I don’t mean to duck, but the truth is you could ask me [about] a lot of people if they are fit. Point is, I don’t think he’ll be our nominee.”
“Political campaigns are about winning,” Cassidy continued, citing the significant losses of GOP control of the House, Senate, and White House over the four years Trump was in office.
“He’ll be 78 years old. I don’t think he’ll be our nominee. Over the last four years, we’ve lost the House, the Senate, and the presidency. We need a candidate that can not only win himself or herself but we also have to have someone who lifts all boats, and that’s clearly not happened over the last four years,” Cassidy said.
“That has not happened in a single four years under a president since Herbert Hoover,” Cassidy added.
The Louisiana Senator dismissed the idea that Trump still controlled the GOP. Recently, Republican lawmakers have begun to publicly back Trump for a 2024 bid.
“CPAC is not the entirety of the Republican Party,” Cassidy said, arguing that the GOP should focus more on talking about policies and less on “idolizing” Trump.
“If we plan to win in 2022 and 2024, we have to listen to the voters. Not just those who really like President Trump, but perhaps those who are less sure,” Cassidy continued. “If we speak to the voters who are less sure that went from President Trump to President Biden, we win. If we don’t, we lose. That is a reality that we have to confront.”
“Now, our policies are great. Before the COVID crisis hit, we had record employment for every group, Hispanics, African-Americans, women, the disabled, high school dropouts, veterans, you name it. We had economic policies that were working,” he added. “So, if that’s the case, and we can speak to those policies, to those families, then we will win. But if we idolize one person, we will lose. And that’s kind of clear from the last election.”
The senator’s remarks stand in stark contrast to his Republican colleagues who see the former president as the future of the party with some embracing his legacy.
Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who said the former president was “morally and practically responsible” for the Capitol riot, said he would support Trump if he were to be the Republicans’ nominee in 2024.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) last week predicted that Trump would win the 2024 GOP nomination “in a landslide.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) revealed his plans to leverage Trump’s influence to ensure the Republican party takes back the House and Senate during the 2022 midterm election. In an interview with Politico, Graham said he will meet with the former president to discuss the future of the GOP and his role in it.
“I’m going to try and convince him that we can’t get there without you, but you can’t keep the Trump movement going without the GOP united,” Graham said.
“If we come back in 2022, then, it’s an affirmation of your policies,” Graham added. “But if we lose again in 2022, the narrative is going to continue that not only you lost the White House, but the Republican Party is in a bad spot.”
Trump on Sunday evening is slated to headline the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the former president’s first public appearance since leaving office last month. Top Trump advisers have said the former president plans to send a message in his Sunday speech to the few RINO Republicans who have recently spoken ill of the former president.
Cassidy was one of seven GOP senators to join all 50 Senate Democrats earlier this month in voting to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial.
2024CongressCPACCPAC 2021Dana BashDonald TrumpImpeachment TrialPresident TrumpRepublican PartySen. Bill CassidySen. Lindsey GrahamSen. Mitt RomneySenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellSOTUState of the UnionTrump 2024
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