Newt Gingrich Discusses Potential Challenges in 2024 Presidential Election

During an appearance on the Cats Roundtable radio show with host John Catsimatidis, former Georgia congressman and House Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke about the upcoming 2024 presidential election. And while he described Joe Biden as “weak,” he warned that incumbents have enormous power, particularly in primaries.

“When you’re a very weak President, who doesn’t understand that we have real enemies, and doesn’t understand the requirements of real stakes, the world begins to realize that the United States is very unreliable,” he said.

Former Speaker @newtgingrich – A lack of respect for U.S. leadership has led to a world predicament.https://t.co/BlzON09fRx

— John Catsimatidis (@JCats2013) April 16, 2023

Gingrich cited the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, which led to the Taliban’s rapid takeover of the country, as an instance of perceived U.S. vulnerability. Furthermore, he referenced past instances where incumbents, including Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, won primary challenges from within their parties but ultimately lost their reelection bids.

Despite Biden’s advantages going into the primaries, Gingrich expressed doubt that he would even be the Democrat nominee. “You don’t know this far out if Biden will feel healthy enough, or what’s going on,” he explained. “My working assumption is that whoever runs, whether it’s Biden or somebody else, they’re going to have to carry the burden of four years of bad government, bad economy, open borders, weakness around the world, rising crime rates, all the different things you and I know are going on, and that’s all going to be causing them enormous problems.”

The timing of Biden’s announcement about his reelection plans has been uncertain, as it has been delayed multiple times. It was originally expected that he would declare shortly after his State of the Union address. However, no announcement has taken place in the months since, and the latest rumors suggest that we’re still months off from said announcement.

Regarding the Republican primary, Gingrich pointed out that, although Trump is currently leading in the polls, he must still convince people of his ability to secure the nomination and win the general election. Additionally, Gingrich indicated that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) should not be overlooked as a possible contender and that there may be as many as 10 to 12 candidates in the race. Gingrich, who ran for president in 2012, also recalled that former President Donald Trump did not announce his campaign until June 2015.

“I think this is going to be a year when there are a lot of things up in the air, and then we’ll have to wait and see how it sorts itself out. I’m not convinced that it’s clear yet,” he cautioned. “Many things can happen between now and the nomination, and a lot more can happen between now and the general election.”