Republicans headed for a slow motion 'disaster' that could leave them stuck with Trump in 2024

In his column for the Daily Beast, conservative Matt Lewis warned the Republican Party is setting itself up for a fall unless they coalesce behind one or possibly two presidential nominees who aren't Donald Trump.

As Lewis sees it, there are too many GOP lawmakers poised to jump into the 2024 Republican Party primaries which could splinter voters and allow the twice-impeached Trump to get the nomination for the third time -- only to lose again in back-to-back races.

As he explained, there is a wide array of Republicans who are looking for their opening to snatch the GOP mantle away from a weakening Trump who is engulfed in multiple criminal investigations and civil lawsuits.

Add to that, Republicans smell blood in the water after the former president's 2024 presidential announcement was greeted with yawns, leading him to hole up at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

According to Lewis, "Everyone can see Trump, who is a disaster, lumbering in slow motion," towards a primary win in a crowded field and that is the best reason why those who have no chance of winning shouldn't be mounting "vanity" campaigns.

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As the conservative notes, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) -- who has no experience being tested at the national level -- is the leading contender, and Trump strategists are hoping enough challengers jump in to dilute his support.

In particular, they are hoping that former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley (R) formally decides to run.

As one Trump insider put it, "Basically, we’re praying Nikki Haley runs.”

"Why does Trumpworld want a crowded field? Something like 30 percent of Republican voters, by some estimates, are 'ride or die' with Trump (in a recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll, Trump garnered 33 percent of the vote in a head-to-head with DeSantis). This suggests that Trump would likely lose in a head-to-head matchup with a MAGA adjacent candidate. But the bigger the field, the more likely Trump’s 30+ percent is to put him over the top as everyone else collects the scraps," he wrote.

He then added, "It’s easy to imagine a scenario where DeSantis, Haley, Glenn Youngkin, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pompeo, Liz Cheney, Larry Hogan, Kristi Noem, and Josh Hawley (just to name a few) all run. This could splinter the non-Trump vote and guarantee that The Donald wins with a plurality."

"Once again, Republicans face a collective action problem. They would all be better off heeding my advice, but individual interests discourage it. Absent a party boss who can force cooperation, we are left with this question: Will those Republicans who now understand how dangerous another Trump term would be for America put the country first?" he wrote before warning, "If potential candidates really love this country, they need to consider sitting this one out—or getting out of the way early—to prevent disaster. Otherwise, we all get rolled."

You can read more here.