Former US House Speaker: Trump’s ‘unelectability will be palpable’ by 2024

Former US House Speaker Paul Ryan has predicted that former President Donald Trump will lose if he decides to run again for the White House in 2024.  

Ryan said on Thursday that Trump is the Democrats’ weapon against Republicans. "He’s a cudgel against us, especially in our swing districts.”

The former Speaker added that Trump’s “unelectability will be palpable” by the 2024 presidential election and that the next Republican nominee will likely be someone else.  

“I think Trump’s unelectability will be palpable by then. We all know that he will lose. … We all know that he is so much more likely to lose the White House than anybody else running for president on our side of the aisle, so why would we want to go with that?” Ryan said in an interview with Teneo for its “Insights Series.” 

“The only reason he stays where he is because everybody’s afraid of him. They’re afraid of him going after them, hurting their own ambition. But as soon as you get the herd mentality going, it’s unstoppable,” Ryan said.

He pointed out Trump’s lack of strength in polls that consider him as the hypothetical 2024 Republican candidate.

“Whether he runs or not, I don’t really know if it matters. He’s not going to be the nominee, I don’t think,” Ryan said.

He said that the Republican presidential primary will be flooded with candidates, dividing up the vote until Trump gets the plurality.

“It’s not like [Trump] is going to reverse the impression that suburban voters have on him. That cake is baked,” Ryan said.

Ryan also underscored the importance of suburban American voters in this year’s midterm elections, noting that Democrats are likely to seize on abortion and Trump as key voting issues, while Republicans will emphasize the U.S. economy. 

He said Democrats will work to make the 2022 race about Trump to get their base to the polls, diverting attention away from unprecedented inflation.

“[Trump] is the Democrats’ weapon against us. He’s a cudgel against us, especially in our swing districts,” Ryan said.

Trump has repeatedly hinted at a potential 2024 run, though he hasn’t yet committed himself to another campaign and some Republicans remain skeptical that he will actually move forward with a comeback bid.

Meanwhile, Trump dominates the field of potential candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential field, according to the poll.

Some 55 percent of voters said they would support Trump in the 2024 Republican primary, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a distant second. DeSantis, a rising star within the party, garnered the support of 20 percent.

Meanwhile, recent opinion polls have depicted a gloomy landscape for Democrats as they gear up for the 2022 midterm elections.

A recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll found that Republicans maintain a clear lead on the congressional ballot over Democrats as Joe Biden's approval rating plunges to a new low of 38 percent.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans, 64 percent, say they do not want Biden to run for a second term in 2024, including a troubling 28 percent of Democrats.

Biden has proven a disappointment for many who voted him into office last year, with 16 percent of those surveyed saying he has done a worse job as president than they expected. Overall, 46 percent of Americans hold that view.

Biden says 'Americans are squeezed by the cost of living,' as inflation rises before midterms

US President Joe Biden has admitted that “Americans are squeezed by the cost of living,” as his Democratic Party heads into the midterm elections which they are likely to lose to the Republicans.

More worrying for Biden, another new survey by Emerson College has found that Trump would beat the incumbent by two points – 45 to 43 percent - if the election was held today.

A report published on Thursday on inflation showed prices in the US are rising more than expected.

The report marks potential bad news for Biden and Democrats who are desperate to retain control of Congress and must try to convince voters deeply concerned about high prices that they can help drive inflation down.

"Americans are squeezed by the cost of living: that’s been true for years, and they didn’t need today’s report to tell them that," Biden said in a statement.

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