Anyone who still thinks Republican 2024 Presidential nomination wannabe’s are holding in place for Donald Trump’s decision to run should check themselves ….
It WILL be fight against Trump’s supporters that some will take on….
And if the former Jersey Governor can get away with this 3 years out?
You can bet others will be more up front in their quest for the nomination….
The former New Jersey governor has launched what amounts to a de facto exploratory bid for president, and it’s already put him on a collision course with his longtime political ally.
While Christie’s criticism of the party’s focus on the 2020 election results and subtle knocks on other aspects of Trump’s term are designed to create a distinct lane for him in the 2024 primary, he’s also courting confrontation with a former president who still commands the loyalty of the Republican base.
“He’s traveling the country, saying what he learned and saying he’s not afraid of Donald Trump. That sets him out in a different lane from anyone else who might run for president in the party,” said veteran Republican strategist Scott Reed. “Christie is a guy who knows how to create a narrative. He can throw a punch and he can take a punch.”
Christie stepped up his fire in recent days in media appearances where he has highlighted how Trump lost his reelection and suggested he’s a “loser” for dwelling on 2020. At a Saturday speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition, Christie was the only one of six potential presidential candidates who dared suggest that looking back at November was a bad idea.
None of the other 2024 hopefuls came anywhere near that level of defiance on a subject that Trump continues to obsess over….
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There is a strategic logic to that approach. Christie, according to those familiar with his thinking, would occupy a middle lane in a potential primary, positioned between those who embrace Trump without reservation and would never criticize him, and any candidate who sought to capture the Never Trump vote.
Christie thinks Trump’s influence in the party is waning, according to several sources who have spoken with him. They say that Trump has lost his mojo since being deplatformed from his once-mighty Twitter account and that Republicans such as Virginia‘s governor-elect, Glenn Youngkin, last week showed a way to win without directly embracing Trump….
Note…
Republican Youngkin’s win in Virginia may end up being the straw that broke Trump’s hold on the party….
image….NY Mag.Com