GOP Governor Says Party Can't Win Back White House With Trump Or 'Cheap Impersonation' Like DeSantis
As Republican politicians begin contemplating possible runs for the White House in 2024, one potential contender's advice doubles as a warning to his fellow Republicans; do not count on former President Donald Trump or any impersonations of him if they want to win.
On Tuesday, text of an upcoming speech by Maryland’s Republican Governor Larry Hogan was shared where he laid out his thoughts on what it would take for a member of his party to win back the White House from Democrats.
In his remarks, which he is expected to deliver Tuesday night, Hogan was clear that he does not see any path forward to power through a tighter embrace of Trump or his MAGA followers.
“We won’t win back the White House by nominating Donald Trump or a cheap impersonation of him,” said Hogan, who is expected to deliver his speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."
Hogan, who has been Maryland’s governor since 2015 and is only the second Republican to win re-election in the blue state, was at points scathing of Trump. The governor went on to denounce the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen by Democrats and he sharply criticized his fellow Republicans who downplayed the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Riot as anything other than a threat to democracy.
But Hogan was clear in insisting that it was not Trump’s policies that he disagreed with, but instead that it was his character flaws that caused far too many self-inflicted wounds during his four years in office.
Hogan predicts this year’s midterm elections will be a pivotal moment when Trump’s political power will be tested. In Hogan’s view, the ex-president will walk away with cracks in his armor if candidates he has backed for the House, Senate and state elections are defeated.
“What happens in 2022 may have some bearing on what happens in 2024,” he said. “It’s going to show a little bit about which direction the party wants to head and how critically important—or not—is an endorsement from Donald Trump.”
These sharp rebukes of Trump are unlikely to come as a surprise given the poor relationship between the two. Hogan didn't support or vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020, and he even supported the first impeachment inquiry against him in 2019. For his part, Trump has dismissed Hogan as a RINO -- a “Republican in name only."
But Trump was not the only candidate Hogan had in mind in his remarks. In an interview with Axios ahead of his speech, Hogan acknowledged that his other target was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom he insisted should be more focused on his upcoming re-election than national ambitions. Like Trump, Hogan has not been shy about calling out DeSantis.
In April, Hogan called Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that outlawed discussions on gender identity in elementary schools “absurd”. He also was critical of DeSantis’ retaliation against Disney for its criticism of the law, a battle he called a “crazy fight”.
Along with Trump, DeSantis is currently among the frontrunners on a hypothetical GOP list of presidential candidates. A composite of polls by Project FiveThirtyEight has found the two neck and neck in preliminary polling. Both men are expected to make any White House plans clear after the midterms.
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