Presidential politics is a tough game and no one plays it tougher or rougher than Donald Trump. The former president has an earned reputation as a back alley fighter with few limits in his attacks.
But Trump’s invincibility may have taken a hit with the disappointing midterm election results for Republicans, as so many of his endorsed candidates lost. While two of his endorsed candidates — J.D. Vance in Ohio, and Ted Budd in North Carolina — won convincingly and two others — Blake Masters in Arizona and Adam Laxalt in Nevada — may yet pull out victories, the loss in Pennsylvania by Mehmet Oz severely damaged Republican chances for a Senate takeover. There was also a gaggle of House races that didn’t go Trump’s way.
Related: As Georgia Preps for Runoff, Some Republicans Quietly Urging Trump to Stay Away
So Trump’s reputation as a kingmaker has lost some of its luster. And his 2024 rivals for the presidency have taken note.
For all the interest many Republicans have in running for president, would-be candidates — and their donors, staffers and family members — are going to have to decide whether they have the stomach to take on a former president known for having a vindictive streak.
Potential 2024 hopefuls have spent the last two years raising money, giving big speeches and traveling to early states under the thinly veiled cover of helping the party prepare for the midterms or fueling their reelection campaigns. That excuse doesn’t work anymore, and further steps toward a presidential race risk direct conflict with Trump.
That’s the bottom line for most candidates. Trump’s slash-and-burn technique of destroying the opposition proved extremely effective in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Remember when Florida Governor Jeb Bush was a contender? Bush raised more than $100 million but was out of the race by the South Carolina primary after Trump belittled him in debates.
During the 2016 campaign, Trump mercilessly savaged those who tried to stop him — a roster that ranged from the megadonor Ricketts family to former GOP nominee Mitt Romney to two of the party’s young stars, Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who ran against him. While some eventually made their way back into Trump’s good graces, others never did.
Most Republican strategists don’t think any of the major candidates like Ron DeSantis or former Vice President Mike Pence will declare until next fall. But that won’t stop other lesser candidates from looking to jump in.
Those who’ve been the most aggressive in opposing Trump — a group that includes Christie and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan — could get attention by swiftly launching a campaign and leveraging their status, however temporary it might be, as a one-on-one foil to the former president.
It should be pointed out that regardless of what happened in the midterms, Trump is still the front-runner for the nomination although the first polls after the midterms will show DeSantis’s star rising. Until some Republican actually takes Trump on and defeats him, he will remain the odds-on favorite to win the GOP nomination.
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