Last week, PJM’s Chris Queen reported that for the first time, Donald Trump, who has been teasing a 2024 run for the presidency, had given himself an excuse to not run again in 2024: his health. In an interview with the Washington Post, Trump confirmed that he had told advisors that his health would factor into his decision about whether he would run again in 2024—though he noted he is currently in good health.
It was an interesting change of rhetoric for someone who has repeatedly boasted about his health—both mental and physical. It got me wondering if Trump might not want to run for president again and is laying the groundwork for a reason to remain as a Republican kingmaker without having to go through another campaign.
Probably not. Trump still seems likely to reclaim his throne, and I can’t blame him. But on the other hand, I also couldn’t help feeling somewhat relieved that Trump gave himself an out not to run again.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Trump, but his candidacy would be problematic for the GOP. That doesn’t mean he can’t win—in fact, I think he would win—but I have my concerns.
Perhaps my biggest concern with Trump is how he has burned so many bridges—particularly since leaving the White House. He’s turned loyal allies into enemies. Even his most effective collaborations have been sullied by his ego-driven attacks following disagreements. For example, his partnership with General “Mad Dog” Mattis as secretary of Defense rejuvenated our military and delivered a series of foreign policy victories. But disagreement over Syria ultimately led to Trump trashing Mattis as an “overrated” general. Likewise, Trump soured on Jeff Sessions over his refusal to shut down the fake Russian collusion allegations investigation. And despite confirming a record number of conservative judges, Trump has routinely blasted Sen. Mitch McConnell since he left office.
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As effective as Trump was as president, he routinely proved to be his own worst enemy. If burning bridges was the worst of his problems, that would be bad enough, but his undisciplined running off at the mouth was problematic more than once during the pandemic. Many of the things he was accused of were manufactured, but it seems that his desire to appear to be the one in charge of the pandemic backfired repeatedly. Fair or not, he was still the one with the shovel digging himself into the hole.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, however, has shown himself to be a more politically savvy and disciplined version of Trump. After barely winning his election, he’s made Florida redder without ever shying away from a big fight. Heck, right now, he’s going toe-to-toe with Disney and, at the moment, appears to be winning. DeSantis is fighting the woke left while simultaneously growing the party. He hasn’t burned bridges the way Trump has, and I’m confident that he could easily build an effective and loyal coalition. Unfortunately, I’m not so optimistic about that with Trump. Trump’s 2016 campaign was full of promises that he’d hire only the best people, and instead, we got a perpetual revolving door due to some pretty poor hires.
That said, Trump likely learned a lot about how things work and would do a better job in a second term. Probably. Maybe. Still, I’m not too fond of how he attacks Mitch McConnell, with whom he’d likely have to work again, should he run and win in 2024.
If Trump runs in 2024, I’ll support him fully. If we’ve learned anything since he left office, it’s that he was good for the country and we need him back. That said, if he decides to pass the baton to Ron DeSantis, I wouldn’t feel bad about it at all. Not one bit.