Biden’s ex-chief of staff says ‘there’s every reason to believe’ Trump will be GOP nominee
Ryan King
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Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain sounded the alarms for Democrats that former President Donald Trump will likely clinch the GOP nod in 2024.
Klain recounted that Trump bulldozed through a dozen seasoned Republican challengers and even Hillary Clinton in 2016 while underscoring that only one man has beaten him: President Joe Biden, who cultivates a similar blue-collar appeal.
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“There’s every reason to believe that Donald Trump will be the nominee of the Republican Party in 2024,” Klain told the New Yorker in a lengthy exit interview. “There’s only one person who’s ever beaten Donald Trump, and his name is Joe Biden.”
Biden has not yet unveiled his 2024 plans but is expected to within the coming weeks. During his State of the Union address, Biden made overtures to blue-collar voters by harping on economic policies relating to manufacturing and wages.
This was Trump’s mantra during his campaign and presidency. Trump vowed to bring back jobs that had been shipped overseas and be the “greatest jobs president that God has ever created.” Biden’s blue-collar appeal also features calls to ratchet up taxation of the wealthy.
Last week, Biden hit the road, traveling to Florida and Wisconsin in what some have speculated was a preview of his 2024 stumping. In addition to his outreach to blue-collar voters, Biden has also been courting seniors by pummeling Republicans over proposals to slash funding for Medicare and Social Security.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has denied claims that Republicans are scheming to make cuts to those two programs.
As the incumbent, Biden is the favorite to clinch the Democratic nod, but there have been some whispers of unease among progressives about his age and liberal credentials.
“The people who have doubts about his candidacy better have a damn good answer,” Klain contended. “That answer needs to be based on something other than past performance because past performance produces only one answer to that question. That’s how I see it.”
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Klain also downplayed questions about Biden’s age, urging voters to “judge his record” and take note of his abundance of “experience” and “wisdom.”
So far, the potential lineup of Democrats to challenge Biden is scant. Only a handful of prominent Democrats such as spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson are actively teasing a primary challenge against him.
Trump announced his 2024 campaign last November.