According to MSNBC political analyst Zeeshan Aleem, former President Donald Trump has faced humiliation as multiple high-profile Republican Party candidates he endorsed have flopped with voters -- but that could actually be good news for him and strengthen his 2024 presidential bid should he choose to run.
While critics of the former president have been rubbing their hands in glee as Trump-endorsed Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), former Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) went down to defeat in the past few weeks, Aleem claimed the belief that Trump has lost his mojo with voters is leading to more rivals for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination to seriously consider challenging him.
To date, Republicans who have been named as possible Trump rivals include Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former Vice President Mike Pence, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), Senators Rick Scott (FL) and Ted Cruz (TX), ex-Gov. Chris Christie (NJ), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Representing a wide swath of conservative positioning from mainstream Republicanism to advanced "Trumpism," those candidates -- should they jump in the race -- could split the electorate and give Trump, with his rabid base, a boost.
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As Aleem wrote, "some Republicans have decided Trump’s grip on the party isn’t as tight as it used to be, and that there are increasingly visible opportunities to dethrone him in the run-up to the 2024 election," but he then added that "ironically, the fact that 2024 is looking more competitive than expected may be to Trump’s advantage."
With Trump entering the race as the most popular candidate -- even if his numbers trend down in the intervening time -- a massive influx of GOP contenders will be spending their time attacking each other as they attempt to narrow the field for their own benefit.
To make his case, Aleem stated one need only look at 2016 when upstart Trump came out of nowhere to surprise everyone.
"In 2016’s crowded presidential Republican primary, Trump’s competitors fought against one another mercilessly — and helped to clear a lane for Trump," he wrote before adding, "The 2020 Democratic primary also showed how a crowded field can split the vote, which ultimately helped front-runner Joe Biden."
"If Trump’s apparent vulnerabilities encourage more of his rivals to throw their hats into the ring, the exact same dynamic could play out. And again, it seems likely that many candidates will be reluctant to adopt a highly adversarial position toward the primary front-runner, who recently single-handedly changed the direction and political culture of the GOP," he suggested before concluding, "Trump doesn’t need to command total support — only a majority of it. If enough Republicans believe they smell blood in the water and the primary becomes crowded, Trump may ultimately have a stronger hand than if it’s just him against one or two serious rivals."
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