Recently, U.S. media revealed that current US President Trump may hold an event to announce his participation in the 2024 election on the day of the inauguration of President-elect Biden. In response, some Republicans said that they would continue to support Trump if he ran.
According to the U.S. political news website Politico on the 2nd, most Republican lawmakers interviewed by Politico said they would support Trump. “If he [Trump] goes to the 2024 U.S. election, I think he’ll be the Republican nominee, and I’ll support him to do so,” said Sen. Hawley, a Republican from Missouri. Florida Rep. Matt Gates said Trump “should run” and would receive “party support”, while Republican Rep. Jim Banks thought it would be difficult for Trump to be “beaten” by other Republicans.
There are also some Republicans interviewed who think Trump has “doed well” during his term. “Most Republicans think he’s doing a good job,” said Sen. Lindsay Graham, a Republican. “He’s very important to his presidency from a conservative perspective.” Senator Scott, a Republican from Florida, called Trump “good job” so far. He said, “I think if Trump wants to run, he should participate. Who knows what will happen in 2024?”
According to Politico, although some people refused to discuss the 2024 election with the media, the numerous Senate and House Republicans interviewed “clearly stated” that Republicans “have no intention of betraying” Trump. The report said that this shows that Trump is still a very popular figure in his party, far exceeding most Republicans.
However, the report also said that more than a dozen Republicans have now explicitly or implied that they may consider running for election in 2024, and if Trump runs again, it may force other Republicans who have been “waiting for opportunity” to postpone their “ambition for president” for another four years. Hawley said that because Trump was “too popular”, if he entered the 2024 U.S. election, some Republican senators who were considering running may “grind their teeth”, while Banks said he hoped to see the current Vice President Pence on the ballot one day.
According to previous reports, people familiar with the matter said that although Trump announced that the event for the 2024 election was initially planned to be held on January 20, no final decision has been made, so the event may be held in advance. Trump is not expected to attend President-elect Biden’s inauguration regardless of the day the campaign is scheduled.
