Trump slams ‘ambitious’ potential rivals in 2024 in lengthy interview

Former President Trump hit a slew of possible 2024 GOP challengers Thursday, calling his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley “overly ambitious” and accusing Florida governors Ron DeSantis and Virginia governors Glenn Youngkin of ingratitude.

Trump spoke for half an hour with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, addressing some of his potential Republican presidential hopefuls and refusing to back a possible party nominee.

The former president told Hewitt that he didn’t think Haley, DeSantis, Youngkin, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should run against him because of Trump’s previous relationship with them, although Trump admitted that that probably wouldn’t stop them.

“Yes, I would say so, but I know how life works. And I know how politics works,” Trump said. “And politics is a microcosm, but even more vicious, of life.”

“So, you know, I helped all these people. I took Mike out of nothing … I think he always said that he would never run against the president, ”Trump added. “And you know, time goes by and then they want to run because they are ambitious people. But you know, they vote very badly.”

Pompeo hasn’t said if he’s running for president in 2024, although he recently published a memoir and visited early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire.

Trump also criticized Haley, who is expected to announce on February 15 that she is running for president. Trump said he recently spoke on the phone with Hailey about her plans.

“She said, ‘I will never run against my president. He is a great president. He was our greatest president. I will never run. I will never run,” Trump told Hewitt. “But Nikki is suffering from something that is very hard to suffer from. She’s too ambitious.”

Trump chastised Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, for not publicly giving him credit for helping him get elected in 2021.

Trump said Youngkin reached out to Trump privately to show his appreciation after Trump held a televised meeting in the final days of the campaign, but the former president lamented that Youngkin was not publicly appreciative enough.

Trump has also been critical of DeSantis, the Florida governor who is seen as the former president’s archrival in a possible 2024 primary.

“Ron DeSantis was elected because of me. You remember that he had nothing. He died. He left the race. He came up and begged me, begged me for approval,” Trump said, even claiming that DeSantis was crying at the time.

In recent days, the former president has stepped up his attacks on DeSantis, accusing the governor of rewriting history because of his response to the coronavirus pandemic and calling him a “RINO globalist.”

Most polls have shown Trump and DeSantis with a solid lead in the hypothetical GOP primaries. DeSantis led Trump in some polls, including last week’s poll of GOP primary voters in New Hampshire.

But Trump is currently the only declared candidate in this area, and his loyal voter base gives him solid support in the primaries, especially if a few candidates split the rest of the electorate.

When and where to see the elusive ‘green comet’ DeSantis backs gas stove issue with tax exemption

Trump has hosted several events since announcing his candidacy in November, appearing in New Hampshire and South Carolina last weekend for his first campaign speeches outside of Florida.

The former president told Hewitt that his children would not be on his campaign this time after his son-in-law Jared Kushner played a key role in 2016 and 2020.

“So the answer is: Jared won’t be involved and I don’t want that,” Trump said. “I want them to go out and have a good life.”

Content Source

News Press Ohio – Latest News:
Columbus Local News || Cleveland Local News || Ohio State News || National News || Money and Economy News || Entertainment News || Tech News || Environment News

Related Articles

Back to top button