Republicans excited to take on Trump should be careful what they wish for: analysis

With Donald Trump enmeshed in multiple investigations and appearing weak following the poor showing by his hand-picked candidates in the midterms, Republicans are eagerly challenging him for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. But that might be just what the former president needs to secure the RNC nomination.

The field of potential 2024 challengers to Trump was on display at the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) conference in Las Vegas this weekend and is regarded as the first cattle call following the midterms.

"Open defiance of Donald Trump, a surefire form of political suicide for Republican politicians for much of the past six years, has suddenly become a reliable applause line," The Washington Post reported. "Their pitches at the RJC event — an unofficial kickoff of the presidential primary season — made clear that Republicans are not running scared of Trump and are even eager for the contest, as disappointing midterm results have set off a cascade of hand-wringing and finger-pointing in the party."

Those attending the event included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

However, the crowded field of rivals may be just what Trump needs to secure the GOP nomination in a third consecutive cycle.

"The annual gathering over the weekend of the Republican Jewish Coalition — a group whose leaders include some of the party’s biggest and most dependable contributors — came at a moment of deep vulnerability for Mr. Trump, following a disappointing midterm election for Republicans that many blamed on the former president," The New York Timesreported. "Yet the glut of possible Trump rivals crisscrossing the windowless corridors of the hotel had some Republicans suffering a foreboding sense of déjà vu: That a fractured Republican field in 2024 could — as it did in 2016 — clear the way for Mr. Trump to win the nomination because of his durable hold on a fraction of the party base."

The Associated Press also reported on the dynamic.

"Trump’s team believes, as do a growing number of anxious donors and Republican operatives, that the GOP’s emboldened 2024 class may already be unintentionally re-creating the conditions that enabled Trump’s success in 2016. That year, a crowded Republican field splintered the primary electorate and allowed Trump to become the party’s presidential nominee despite winning just 35% or less of the vote in each of the three opening primary contests," the AP reported. "Trump advisers initially hoped that he might clear the field with his early announcement. They now believe a crowded field will help him by splitting the anti-Trump vote — just as was the case in 2016."