Both US parties could lose big if Trump is the nominee: Analyst

An American political analyst says both Republican and Democratic parties could lose big if former US President Donald Trump becomes the GOP nominee for the 2024 presidential election.

Myles Hoenig made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Friday while commenting on a report which says potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates are worried Trump’s increasingly aggressive flirtation with a third presidential run.

For months, Trump, a Republican, has floated the idea of a 2024 rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden. But in recent weeks, he has signaled strongly that he may be more likely to run again than not, according to a report published by The Hill, a Washington-based newspaper, on Friday.

Trump’s statements have intensified a collective headache for other would-be presidential contenders who have already started laying the groundwork for their own primary campaigns, according to the report.

The report says that Trump is still the most influential Republican in the country, and there’s little appetite within the GOP to challenge him for the 2024 presidential nod.

“The thought of a Biden/Trump rematch would be a political junkie’s dream. We often see rematches in local and state races. Sometimes, but not usually, the original loser wins but in most rematches there was obviously a reason why the candidate lost in the first place! The only time in American history where a president came back to win again was Grover Cleveland as the 22^nd and 24^th president, one term each. His last year in office was 1897,” Hoenig said.  

“Both parties have a lot to worry about. For the Republicans, there are a lot of potential candidates who may not have another chance after 2024. That would include Ron DeSantis of Florida, Greg Abbott of Texas, House Minority Leader McCarthy, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, and a slew of others who stand virtually no chance of receiving the Republican nomination. That would include Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and a few others. Tucker Carlson could be a wild card, as he would be a mini-Trump, espousing racist, xenophobic, homophobic creeds and already having a platform (Fox TV) to do so,” he added.

Would-be rivals apprehensive of the prospect of Trump’s 2024 White House bid

Potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates are worried about Trump’s increasingly aggressive flirtation with a third presidential run, according to a report.

“For these potential candidates, a Trump candidacy would derail their chances and their 15 minutes of fame would quickly end. What Trump would bring to the table for his party is a loyal base, and a majority base of the Republicans. Unless Trump anoints his successor, there is no way that a challenger could siphon off enough voters to win the nomination,” the analyst noted.

“What would be so apoplectic for them, and for his party, is if Trump loses again. That would be a near-fatal defeat for the party for presidential elections. All they would need is for the Democratic winner to be so incompetent for them to revive their chances in 2028 or later,” he stated.

“For the Democrats, a Trump nomination would most likely be a joy. The Republican party would be in such disarray, with Republican defections, that a Democratic victory would be assured. But there is a major ‘but’ which would cause the Democrats to be as apoplectic as potential challengers to Trump in their primaries. The wild card is President Biden. Will he even serve out this first term? Will he be able to devise a winning strategy? Will his record by 2024 be worth continuing? Would Vice President Kamala Harris be a worthy opponent against Trump if she’s the nominee? She didn’t win a single primary on her own and her unfavorable ratings are going up, not down, and at about 50%,” he said.

“One final word on this for now is the utter chaos that would ensue if there were to be a match-up. Chaos is Trump’s campaign strategy and he excels in it. Before Trump is even nominated, he will be arguing fraud and rigged elections. What this will do to the body politic of the US cannot be under-estimated,” he concluded. 

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