Donald Trump is still the presumptive Republican nominee for 2024, whether the rest of the party likes it or not.
The former President is not only a former President, but he’s also the only member of the GOP to make any sort of official announcement regarding his intent to run in 2024 as of this writing. There are plenty of other conservatives who are clearly eyeing the race, including former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but there is no telling if or when they’ll make an official announcement.
This week a former member of Trump’s White House has suggested that he, too, might run for the White House…but with the express purpose of stopping his former boss.
Former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton said Monday on NBC’s steaming show “Meet the Press Now” that he is prepared to run for president as a Republican to stop his former boss from winning the presidency.
Bolton said, “Donald Trump, if he were to take the oath of office again, God forbid, would either be lying about preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution or maybe he wouldn’t say it at all. You can’t have this kind of approach. It’s not something one can disagree with. This is foundational to the republic.”
He continued, “There’s one thing that would get me to get into the presidential race, which I looked at in prior elections. It would be to make it clear to the people of this country that Donald Trump is unacceptable as the Republican nominee.”
When asked to reiterate that possibility, Bolton did not shy away.
Bolton said, “Absolutely. I think to be a presidential candidate. You can’t simply say I support the Constitution. You have to say I would oppose people who would undercut it. We used to have a thing in the House of Representatives called the House Un-American Affairs Committee. I think when you challenge the Constitution itself the way Trump himself has done, that is un-American.”
Bolton would be a hard sell in the general election, of course, as he carries a notorious reputation as a warmonger and anti-isolationist.
