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Donald Trump has publicly celebrated growing calls for Joe Biden to end his re-election bid.
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But some in the Republican Party worry that if Biden steps aside, it could make the race more difficult for Trump.
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Senator Lindsey Graham on CBS said a new Democratic challenger would make the race”dramatically different.”
donald trump has happily celebrated growing calls for Joe Biden to end his reelection bid, confident he can defeat any Democrat who challenges him — but some members of the Republican Party aren’t so sure.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and longtime Trump ally, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan“Sunday said one new Democratic challenger would make the race “dramatically different” for Trump.
“President Biden will likely be replaced, and Kamala Harris it’s going to be very vigorous,” Graham said, speculating that the vice president would take up Biden’s mantle in the race if he steps aside, as many have suggested. “If Biden leaves office, Harris will have to choose someone to help her. If she becomes the nominee, this will be a dramatically different race than it is now. I hope people are thinking about this on our side.”
Graham added that Trump’s focus now should be on picking a strong running mate to “add value in 2024, expand the map, prosecute the case against the 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 U.S. Sen. Ohio, JD Vance are among his top choices.
Graham’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Although Biden has so far maintained his intention to stay in the raceIt appears Graham isn’t the only Republican congressman concerned about what it would mean if he stepped aside.
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, it’s probably a good thing for Joe Biden that he probably won’t have to be subjected to this for another four years. ” said the Republican Party lawmaker.
Trump versus Bidensaid the House Republican, it was “a very uneven fight,” adding that Democrats “would be crazy to govern Biden again” — but the idea that the incumbent president could be replaced is not necessarily positive for the Republican Party.
“This changes everything,” the Republican lawmaker told Fox News. “It’s just a completely unknown wildcard right now.”
A second House Republican and a senior GOP aide expressed these 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 potentially replaces Biden has an exponentially greater chance of defeating Trump,” the senior GOP adviser told Fox News. “Biden remaining at the top of the ticket is the best-case scenario for a Republican trifecta.”
When Business Insider reached out for comment, Trump representatives pointed to a recent post on Truth Social in which Trump urged Biden to stay in the race.
“The devious Joe Biden should ignore his many critics and move forward, with enthusiasm and strength, with his powerful and far-reaching campaign,” read Trump’s post, published on Saturday. “Yes, Sleepy Joe should continue his campaign of American destruction and MAKE CHINA GREAT AGAIN!”
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