Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said on Wednesday that he believes it is “inevitable” that former President Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
“And I can tell you I know where I am in that matchup,” the 43-year-old Missouri senator added.
Hawley also said the case of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg—who charged Trump in April with 34 felony-level counts of falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments—has galvanized the 45th president’s support instead of hurting him.
Challenges Ahead
The challenge for the next president, regardless of political affiliation, is to “make America strong,” Hawley said, noting that he believes President Joe Biden is not fit for the top job because he made the United States “dependent” on China, “intentionally tried to divide” Americans, and allowed “record numbers of drugs across our borders.”“I mean, you look at what this president has done,” Hawley said. “Biden has made us dependent on China. He’s made China rich. He’s made America poor.”
Hawley also said another reason he believes Biden is “not fit to be president” is due to the 80-year-old incumbent repeatedly trying to divide Americans by “calling half of the country—or more—fascists, calling them people who threaten our democracy.”
“It used to be in America that we could have heated disagreements, but you didn’t say that the other side was un-American and not fit to be citizens,” he said.
Candidate Pool
Hawley’s remarks came as Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his presidential campaign via Twitter Spaces alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday. The governor’s entry into the GOP field has been rumored for months, and he is considered the party’s strongest candidate next to Trump, who is currently dominating the field.Trump, according to an average of polls compiled by RealClearPolitics, has a significant lead over any Republican challenger, including DeSantis, who trails in a distant second place.
Democrats say Biden is running because he feels he is the only candidate who stands a chance against Trump. In announcing his candidacy, the Pennsylvania native declared it his job to defend “freedom.”
“Yes, I can win,” Kennedy said when asked about his chances of ousting Biden in the primary. “The public polls are showing me at 20 percent over for the Democrats,” he added, “and our private polling is showing that I have very strong support among independents and even Republicans.”
Apart from Biden, Kennedy is the second other candidate to declare a run for the Democratic nomination, joining author Marianne Williamson, who also sought the party’s nomination in 2020 but dropped out of the race before any votes had been cast.
In the Republican field, other major candidates besides Trump and DeSantis include entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and conservative talk show host Larry Elder.