The “Who is running in 2024?” tea leaves thread

[Mr. Morden]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/25/politics/donald-trump-plans-family/index.html

According to multiple people familiar with Trump's current habits, who requested anonymity to speak freely to CNN about the former President's day-to-day focus, his stated goal -- barring impact from ongoing criminal investigation -- is to run for president again, in 2024. Of course, he has no incentive to rule it out right now -- keeping himself in the mix helps sustain his kingmaker role. Looking to flex on 2022, he hopes to prove to both critics and supporters that he is the GOP's most effective puppeteer -- a role he will likely remind the party of during his weekend appearance at Conservative Political Action Conference.

[Mr. Morden]

Rubio on 2024:

https://news.yahoo.com/sen-marco-rubio-ll-see-232400476.html

Question: You’re running for re-election, do you rule out the possibility or do you believe that you leave open the possibility of running for president in 2024?

MARCO RUBIO: Well, the way I tell people about that is, I already ran once so clearly at some point I was interested in being president. So, it'd be silly for me to say no, never, ever. But frankly one of things I've learned, and you've known me a long time. I've been Speaker of the House, state legislator doing this-- this. I think one of things I've learned in time is you've got to kind of focus on what's before you and not always, you know, thinking about what's down the road in a couple years. I have a job. I have things I want to accomplish here, so I'm going to focus on that. I'm focusing on re-election.

And honestly, I'm not trying to be evasive, I just don't know what the country is going to be like, what the party is going to want, what-- what the country is going to need, or even what my own life is going to be like in two, three, four years. I mean, I weigh all these things all the time. I have a, you know-- I'm gone 3 and 1/2, 4 days a week. I have a young family that continues to grow up every single day. Every day, I'm not there is a day I can't get back. That's a consideration for me in many of the decisions that I make. So I just I'm not in a position to tell you where I'm going to be three years from now.

[NewYorkExpress]

Rick Scott says Joe Biden "absolutely" was the winner in 2020, tells Chris Wallace that the GOP isn't Trump's Party, but the voter's party.

Sen. Rick Scott on Sunday declined to call the GOP the party of former President Donald Trump and acknowledged President Joe Biden was “absolutely” the legitimate winner of the 2020 White House race.

In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Scott (R-Fla.) — the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee — reiterated his message that “the Republican civil war is canceled.”


But Scott’s remarks to host Chris Wallace also underscored the tense intraparty disputes he is navigating as he leads the GOP effort to retake the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections.


Asked by Wallace whether the Republican Party is “still Donald Trump’s party,” Scott replied that the GOP is “the voters’ party” and “always has been.”

Kirsti Noem got a standing ovation for her CPAC speech, which focused on South Dakota's response to COVID.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) in her address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday touted her state's response to the coronavirus pandemic, while criticizing other state leaders for resorting to restrictive measures to combat the virus.

Noem, an ally of former President Trump, began her address in Orlando, Fla., Saturday stating that America needs conservatives for one reason — the year 2020. 

“The question of why America needs conservatives can be answered by just mentioning one single year, and that year is 2020,” she said.  “Everybody knows that almost overnight we went from a roaring economy to a tragic, nationwide shutdown,” she continued, before attributing a record low unemployment rate at the beginning of 2020 to Trump.


The South Dakota governor went on to say that once the pandemic hit, many states chose to implement widespread shutdowns, which Noem said resulted in significant job losses, school closures and an economic downturn.

“Now let me be clear: COVID didn’t crush the economy, government crushed the economy,” she said.

Noem added that South Dakota was the only state that never ordered “a single business or church to close,” and also did not issue a shelter-in-place order or a mask mandate, prompting applause and a standing ovation from many in the crowd.

Noem also took aim at Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, claiming that President Biden’s chief medical adviser is “wrong a lot,” a comment that also received a standing ovation from conference attendees.

"We never focused on the case numbers,” Noem explained. “Instead, we kept our eye on hospital capacity. Now Dr. Fauci, he told me that on my worst day I’d have 10,000 patients in the hospital. On our worst day, we had a little over 600.”

[Mr. Morden]

https://twitter.com/alivitali/status/1366144992574603265

https://twitter.com/GabbyOrr_/status/1366147505604411395

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Tupac IN:

https://twitter.com/catargetbot/status/1366186574673702917?s=21

[NewYorkExpress]

Tupac IN:

https://twitter.com/catargetbot/status/1366186574673702917?s=21

Well, it wouldn't be the first time voters in this country elected a dead man to public office (see Mel Carnahan.).

[Progressive]

I think if Trump doesn't run, it will be a De Santis / Noem ticket. Obviously it's a very long way away. But just a gut.

[brucejoel99]

"He won't actually run in 2024 but he will tease his base into thinking he will so they give him money," Exhibit #72,847:

https://twitter.com/DJJudd/status/1366168481977274369

[Mr. Morden]

Scott Walker not ruling out another presidential run (nor a run for Senate):

https://floridianpress.com/2021/02/gov-scott-walker-open-to-2024-presidential-run/

Fortunately, I had the chance to pull Walker aside and ask him about his political future and if a Wisconsin Senate seat would be on his mind.  Gov. Walker responded, “Someday maybe, I actually loved being governor, I love executive issues and getting things done,” said Gov. Walker when asked about a potential 2024 presidential run. “Well, we’ll see.”

[TrumpBritt24]

Dave Portnoy IN

https://twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1366575658932047878?s=20

[Crumpets]

https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1366808688573485064

[Flint]

Will Smith

can't imagine he'd last long given his reactions when his wife aired their dirty laundry in public

[TrumpBritt24]

Trump exploring a black or female running mate:

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1367186226638450697

[Roll Roons]

Trump exploring a black or female running mate:

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1367186226638450697

Watch him pick Mia Love or Will Hurd lol.

In all seriousness, he'd probably go with Kristi Noem or Tim Scott. Maybe Marsha Blackburn.

[beesley]

Watch him pick Mia Love or Will Hurd lol.

Diamond or Silk?

[President Johnson]

Trump exploring a black or female running mate:

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1367186226638450697

Watch him pick Mia Love or Will Hurd lol.

In all seriousness, he'd probably go with Kristi Noem or Tim Scott. Maybe Marsha Blackburn.

David Clarke or Kanye West?

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Dang, that job had Herman Cain's name written all over it!

[Mr. Morden]

Trump exploring a black or female running mate:

To be clear, both that tweet and the story it references say that Trump's advisors are looking in that direction, not necessarily that Trump himself is "exploring" it.

Here’s the Axios story this refers to:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-03/trump-weighs-2024-white-house-run-without-mike-pence-allies-say

Note that they’re sourcing “people familiar with the discussions [about 2024]”, who say that Trump likely wouldn’t launch another campaign until Summer 2023.  They say he’s “telling allies he’s strongly considering another run”, but the details are coming from his advisors, including the idea of a black or female running mate:

Trump’s advisers have discussed identifying a Black or female running mate for his next run, and three of the people familiar with the matter said Pence likely won’t be on the ticket.

Two advisers have suggested Trump consider South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, the people said. Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, are hosting a fundraiser for Noem on Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and home in Palm Beach. The former president is planning to make an appearance, people familiar with the matter said.

And on Tuesday, Trump issued a public endorsement for South Carolina Senator Tim Scott’s re-election. Scott is the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate.

So while I personally think Noem may be the single most likely choice for a Trump 2024 running mate, just wanted to clarify that it’s Trump’s advisors, rather than Trump himself who are floating this idea.  Unclear if Trump himself has commented to anyone on what kind of running mate he might like next time.

[TrumpBritt24]

If it happens, I'm interested to see the QAnon/Alt-Right response. Many of them were pretty disappointed with Trump's CPAC speech, followed by the Tim Scott endorsement; and a black running mate would incredibly piss them off even more.

[NewYorkExpress]

Mike Pompeo refuses to rule out a Presidential bid on Hannity.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined Wednesday to rule out a run for the White House if former President Donald Trump does not seek the office in 2024, telling Fox News' "Hannity" he was "always up for a fight."

"I care deeply about America," Pompeo told host Sean Hannity. "You and I have been part of the conservative movement for an awfully long time now. I aim to keep at it."

Hannity said he would take Pompeo’s answer as "a strong maybe," to which Pompeo responded, "That’s perfect."

[Motorcity]

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/04/rick-scott-maga-473548

Rick Scott, despite embracing MAGA, is failing to gain traction

He reminds me a lot of Scott Walker. A far right governor of a swing state that keeps winning state elections and gets a lot of media attention, but the national rank and file just don't care for.

[Roll Roons]

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/04/rick-scott-maga-473548

Rick Scott, despite embracing MAGA, is failing to gain traction

He reminds me a lot of Scott Walker. A far right governor of a swing state that keeps winning state elections and gets a lot of media attention, but the national rank and file just don't care for.

I doubt he gets anywhere. He's just so awkward and uncharismatic.

[Motorcity]

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/04/rick-scott-maga-473548

Rick Scott, despite embracing MAGA, is failing to gain traction

He reminds me a lot of Scott Walker. A far right governor of a swing state that keeps winning state elections and gets a lot of media attention, but the national rank and file just don't care for.

I doubt he gets anywhere. He's just so awkward and uncharismatic.

Just like Scott Walker

I remember watching the early 2016 republican primary debates and I was shocked how awkward Walker was. This was the guy the media was hyping up for years?

A uncharsitmaic person can be governor, not president

[Motorcity]

Trump exploring a black or female running mate:

To be clear, both that tweet and the story it references say that Trump's advisors are looking in that direction, not necessarily that Trump himself is "exploring" it.

Here’s the Axios story this refers to:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-03/trump-weighs-2024-white-house-run-without-mike-pence-allies-say

Note that they’re sourcing “people familiar with the discussions [about 2024]”, who say that Trump likely wouldn’t launch another campaign until Summer 2023.  They say he’s “telling allies he’s strongly considering another run”, but the details are coming from his advisors, including the idea of a black or female running mate:

Trump’s advisers have discussed identifying a Black or female running mate for his next run, and three of the people familiar with the matter said Pence likely won’t be on the ticket.

Two advisers have suggested Trump consider South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, the people said. Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, are hosting a fundraiser for Noem on Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and home in Palm Beach. The former president is planning to make an appearance, people familiar with the matter said.

And on Tuesday, Trump issued a public endorsement for South Carolina Senator Tim Scott’s re-election. Scott is the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate.

So while I personally think Noem may be the single most likely choice for a Trump 2024 running mate, just wanted to clarify that it’s Trump’s advisors, rather than Trump himself who are floating this idea.  Unclear if Trump himself has commented to anyone on what kind of running mate he might like next time.

No way Trump would pick Pence again. Pence basically pulled Trump aside and told him if he didn't get his sh**t together he was going to remove him from office.  Trump demands absolute loyalty. Nevermind the whole refusing to overturn the election and attending the inaguration

[NewYorkExpress]

Trump and The Wall Street Journal are going to war with each other.

Former President Trump on Thursday lashed out at the Wall Street Journal editorial board for calling on Republicans to abandon him and blamed his GOP critics for the party’s Georgia Senate losses.

In a statement released Thursday, Trump accused the paper’s opinion section, which has a traditionally conservative bent, of supporting “globalist policies such as bad trade deals, open borders, and endless wars.”

“They fight for RINOS that have so badly hurt the Republican Party,” Trump said. “That's where they are and that's where they will always be. Fortunately, nobody cares much about The Wall Street Journal editorial anymore. They have lost great credibility."


The statement came in response to an editorial detailing the GOP’s many electoral losses since Trump came into office.

The paper wrote that despite Trump’s claims about his dominance, he lost to President Biden by 7 million votes and fumbled away two traditionally red states — Arizona and Georgia.

During Trump’s tenure, Republicans lost the House, Senate and White House. The former president’s approval rating never reached above 50 percent in most polls, the editorial says.

“As long as Republicans focus on the grievances of the Trump past, they won’t be a governing majority,” the editorial board concluded.

The Wall Street Journal also blamed Trump for the GOP’s runoff losses in two Georgia Senate races.

......


“He cost the GOP two Georgia Senate races on Jan. 5 as he made his claims of election fraud the main issue rather than checking Mr. Biden and Nancy Pelosi," the editorial board wrote. "Mr. Trump essentially told his Georgia supporters their votes didn’t matter, and many stayed home. The GOP lost the Senate.”

Trump blasted back, blaming Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and other GOP officials in the state for not doing enough to root out fraud, which he continues to blame for his election loss.

Trump also blamed the Senate losses on then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) refusal to push through a COVID-19 relief package that included $2,000 individual payments to most Americans.

"This latter point was used against our Senators and the $2,000 will be approved anyway by the Democrats who bought the Georgia election—and McConnell let them do it!" Trump said. "Even more stupidly, the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent millions of dollars on ineffective TV ads starring Mitch McConnell, the most unpopular politician in the country, who only won in Kentucky because President Trump endorsed him. He would have lost badly without this endorsement."