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: don't 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 with the audience, 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 that he is expected to deliver Tuesday night, Hogan stated that he does not see any path forward to power through a tighter embrace of Trump or his MAGA followers.
Hogan, who is expected to deliver his speech in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, said that we won't win back the White House by nominating Donald Trump or a cheap impersonation of him. 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 denounced the Big lie that the 2020 election was stolen by Democrats and criticized his fellow Republicans who downplayed the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Riot as a threat to democracy.
Hogan said that it was not Trump's policies that he disagreed with, but instead he was clear in insisting that it was his character flaws that caused far too many self-inflicted wounds during his four years in office.
Hogan predicts that this year's midterm elections will be a pivotal moment when Trump's political power will be tested. The ex-president will walk away with cracks in his armor if candidates he backed for the Senate, House and State elections are defeated, according to Hogans.
He said that what happens in 2022 may have a bearing on what happens in 2024. It's going to show a little bit about which direction the party wants to go and how critically important is an endorsement from Donald Trump. Given the poor relationship between the two, these rebukes of Trump are unlikely to come as a surprise. Hogan didn't support Trump in 2016 or 2020, and he even supported the first impeachment inquiry against him in 2019. Trump has dismissed Hogan as a RINO in name only. Trump was not the only candidate Hogan had in mind in his remarks. Hogan acknowledged that his other target was the Florida Gov., in an interview with Axios ahead of his speech. Insisted on his upcoming re-election, Ron DeSantis 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 said Florida's Don t Say Gay bill that outlawed gender identity in elementary schools was absurd. He also criticised DeSantis retaliation against Disney for its criticism of the law, a battle he called a crazy fight. DeSantis is currently among the frontrunners on a hypothetical GOP list of presidential candidates. The two neck and neck were found in preliminary polling by a composite of polls by Project FiveThirtyEight. Both men are expected to make any White House plans clear after the midterms.