Don Bacon (R-NE) said during a Sunday appearance that Trump would not be his ideal choice in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. He did not swear off Trump as an alternative but seemed optimistic that other candidates would step in as a better alternative.
“We have to learn the lesson of ‘Why did we lose in 2020?’ It was the comportment and the temperament,” Bacon said. “And yes, a democracy respects elections. And our President should have respected the conclusion [in 2020], particularly when all the court cases were figured out.”
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When questioned by Meet the Press host Chuck Todd if he could envision voting for the former President, Bacon said it was on the table but not his existing priority.
“Well, I’m going to focus on 2022, but no, I’ll be looking for other candidates,” Bacon noted. “We have a great slate of potential Republican presidents for 2024, and I look forward to being very involved and trying to get the right candidate nominated.”
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When asked by Todd if he would back Trump if he were nominated, the Nebraska Republican seemed unsure.
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“You know, I’m reluctant to go there. But he’s not going to be my choice in the primary, that’s for sure.”
The former President has teased a 2024 run multiple times since he left office. His most recent election indication was made during his appearance at the 2022 NRA Convention.
Bacon has been relatively critical of the former President. He supported creating the Select Commission on January 6 but voted against impeaching the former President over the January 6 Capitol riot.
At the end of his remarks at the NRA convention in Houston, former President Donald Trump teased another run for the White House in 2024. “Throughout history, time and time again, hardworking citizens like you have answered the call to save American freedom, and now, together, we are going to save American freedom once again. We have no choice,” he told the audience Friday.
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“In 2022, we are going to vote for tough on crime, pro-Second Amendment candidates in record numbers,” he added. “Get out and vote — make sure the voting is honest, by the way.”
“Together,” he promised, “we’re going to take back the House, take back the Senate, and in 2024, we are going to take back that great and beautiful White House that we love and cherish so much.”
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According to senior GOP sources who spoke with the Washington Examiner, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the third-ranking Republican in the House, is being targeted as a running mate for Trump in 2024 if he decides to embark on a new campaign.
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