- Donald Trump has publicly welcomed growing calls for Joe Biden to end his re-election bid.
- But some in the GOP worry that if Biden withdraws, it could make the race more difficult for Trump.
- Sen. Lindsey Graham said on CBS that a new Democratic challenger would be in the running.radically different.”
Donald Trump has gleefully welcomed growing calls for Joe Biden to end his reelection bid, confident he can defeat any Democrat who challenges him — but some in the GOP aren’t so sure.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and longtime Trump ally, said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that a new Democratic challenger would make the race “radically different” for Trump.
“President Biden will most likely be replaced, and Kamala Harris is going to be very strong,” Graham said, speculating that the vice president would take over Biden’s mantle in the race if he steps aside, as many have suggested. “If Biden steps aside, Harris is going to have to pick someone to help him. If she becomes the nominee, it’s going to be a radically different race than it is today. I hope people are thinking about that on our end.”
Graham added that Trump should now focus on choosing a strong running mate to “add value in 2024, expand the map, continue the case against liberals.” Trump has not yet announced his campaign’s vice presidential pick, but Graham noted that South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance are among his top choices.
Representatives for Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
While Biden has so far maintained his intention to stay in the race, it appears Graham isn’t the only Republican member of Congress worried about what it would mean if he were to withdraw.
Fox News reported that a House Republican, who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity, said a younger and potentially more popular candidate on the Democratic ticket would mean “a tougher race” for Trump.
“As a human being, it’s probably a good thing for Joe Biden to not have to go through this for another four years. But as a party, it’s not great. I’m not sure it’s a good thing for us either,” the Republican lawmaker said.
Trump versus Biden, the Republican representative said, was “a very lopsided fight,” adding that Democrats “would be crazy to run Biden again” — but the idea that the incumbent president could be replaced is not necessarily positive for the Republican Party.
“It changes everything,” the Republican lawmaker told Fox News. “It’s just a totally unknown element at this point.”
A second House Republican and a senior House Republican aide echoed those concerns to Fox News, with the aide explicitly saying that Biden’s continued candidacy is Trump’s best bet for re-election.
“Virtually any Democrat who could replace Biden has a much better chance of defeating Trump,” a senior House Republican aide told Fox News. “Biden remaining at the top of the ticket is the best-case scenario for a Republican trio.”
When Business Insider reached out for comment, Trump’s representatives pointed to a recent post on Truth Social in which Trump urged Biden to stay in the race.
“Corrupt Joe Biden should ignore his many detractors and move forward, with alacrity and force, with his powerful and far-reaching campaign,” Trump’s message, released Saturday, read. “Yes, sleepy Joe should continue his campaign of destroying America and, ‘MAKE CHINA GREAT AGAIN!’”
News Source : www.businessinsider.com
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