Staff Reports
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s recent assessment of former President Donald Trump’s strength in the possible 2024 presidential race has ignited an intense debate among Republicans. In a statement on Tuesday, McCarthy pointed out that while Trump can win the election, it is uncertain if he is the strongest candidate to do so. This statement triggered Steve Bannon, a staunch Trump loyalist, to tongue-lash McCarthy by calling him disloyal. This was odd, considering McCarthy was on Trump’s side in the past, but Bannon doesn’t seem to appreciate that.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy's Evaluation of Trump's 2024 Presidential Bid Ignites Debate Among Republicans https://t.co/VUNvPzLI8D
— RedState (@RedState) June 27, 2023
McCarthy later clarified his statement by saying Trump is now stronger than he was in 2016 and is Biden’s strongest competitor in the upcoming race, citing numerous poll numbers. Polls show that Trump beats Biden in a hypothetical general election by three points and that 76% of respondents have a favorable opinion of him. Interestingly, the same survey shows that Biden beats Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by 2 points.
President Trump MUST Realize Kevin McCarthy's Backstabbing Him At Every Opportunity -Steve Bannon pic.twitter.com/lC4cz1camG
— Grace Chong ?? (@gc22gc) June 27, 2023
Hypothetical head-to-head matchups show Biden trailing Trump by 3 points among the general electorate, while DeSantis trails the incumbent by 2 points.
It marks Trump’s largest advantage by this metric since tracking began in December. https://t.co/zpObC29Slh pic.twitter.com/BahDAfs12W
— Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) June 27, 2023
Despite McCarthy’s previous comments stating that Trump should be accountable for the Capitol riot, he has visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago lately and has backed recent efforts to scrap Trump’s two impeachment charges. Nevertheless, skepticism about Trump persists within the GOP conference. Some members have openly criticized the former president after the prosecutions, whereas others have declared their backing for Governor DeSantis.
McCarthy has not yet endorsed a presidential candidate, but he has indicated that he may back one in the future. He compared Trump’s policies to those of the current administration, claiming that Trump’s policies are superior to Biden’s, straightforward, and good for America.
The speaker’s opinion on Trump’s run in the 2024 presidential elections has certainly sparked an intense debate among Republicans. Nevertheless, it’s clear that the former president has a strong following among Republicans, at least according to the poll numbers.
