Trump rivals are delaying declaring their candidacies because he's doing a good job of tripping himself up, report says
David Becker for the Washington Post
- Trump's 2024 GOP rivals are holding off on campaign announcements, Politico reported.
- Trump has made a number of missteps recently, including having dinner with a white nationalist.
- "When you see Trump in a free fall, why get in the middle of that?" a Republican strategist said.
Donald Trump's rivals are discussing delaying announcing their presidential candidacies because the former president has done a good job of tripping himself up, according to Politico.
Three GOP strategists, who have been in discussions with Republican candidates and wanted to remain anonymous, said they believe that Trump is damaging his presidential prospects with a series of unforced mistakes, according to the report.
They claim that other candidates jumping in at this stage would divert attention away from Trump's errors.
"When you see Trump in a free fall, why get in the middle of that?" a Republican strategist told the publication. "Trump's best when he's got an opponent, so don't give him one," another remarked.
Trump has made a number of political missteps since announcing his 2024 candidacy, including having dinner with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. He has also faced criticism over his midterm endorsement strategy, which saw a series of candidates he backed slump to defeat in key races.
He is separately facing investigations into his business affairs and retention of classified documents after leaving office.
Trump is so far the only Republican to declare his 2024 candidacy ahead of the primaries in March.
According to the report, among the suggestions on the table is that all of the rival candidates should announce their campaigns at the same time so Trump cannot individually target anyone with his trademark nicknames and insults.
The article does not name the potential candidates involved in the discussions, but according to reports, potential contenders to take on Trump include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
All would be trying to attract the support of the hardline MAGA base who have long revered Trump.