Former President Donald Trump has suggested that if he runs for the Republican nomination in 2024 he would win "easily" and other candidates would step aside for him.
Trump spoke to Fox Business' David Asman on Friday morning about a variety of issues, including inflation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Joe Biden.
The former president, who continues to make unsubstantiated claims that his defeat in 2020 was down to voter fraud, has dropped frequent hints that he is planning another run for the White House.
Toward the end of the interview, Asman asked Trump about a statement he issued on Thanksgiving that appeared to tease another campaign.
The Fox Business host, who was filling in for Stuart Varney on Varney & Co., asked Trump if he thought there would be an open GOP primary in 2024.
"I think if I run, I'll get it," Trump said. "Look, I have a 94-95 percent—even in the CPAC [Conservative Political Action Conference]—I had a 98 percent approval rating. If I decide to run, I'll get it easily."
The former president has repeatedly said he has approval ratings of about 90 percent in the Republican Party—he has been making this claim since at least 2019—but it is not entirely clear where this figure comes from.
"Most people said if I run, they won't run against me," Trump went on. "So, I think that's good."
One potential candidate, Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has said she will not stand for the Republican nomination in 2024 if Trump runs. But others—including former Vice President Mike Pence and Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida—have not made the same commitment.
However, a number of polls have shown that Trump would indeed win the GOP nomination easily, beating potential challenges from Pence, DeSantis and others. Another recent poll also indicated that Trump would defeat President Biden in a hypothetical rematch.
During the Fox Business interview on Friday, Trump criticized Biden on a variety of issues, including inflation, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and migration.
The former president also took aim at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell once again, escalating the feud between two of the nation's most senior Republicans.
Trump mentioned McConnell's decision to assist Democrats in raising the debt ceiling for two months amid warnings from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that the U.S. could default on its debts, as well as his vote in favor of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.
McConnell was one of 19 Senate Republicans who supported the legislation.
"That guy should resign as the leader," Trump said, claiming McConnell was responsible for the fact that the Democrats introduced two separate spending bills.
"They were ready to fold," Trump said. "We had 'em and then Mitch McConnell gave 'em two months. This guy doesn't have a clue."
The bipartisan bill was negotiated by senators from both parties and the White House. The separate $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act is a Democratic bill that the party hopes to pass without GOP support using the budget reconciliation process.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
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