The 2024 Republican presidential primary field could be growing.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet The Press Now” Monday, former National Security Adviser John Bolton threw out the prospect of him running for president.
“I think to be a presidential candidate you can’t just say, ‘I support the Constitution.’ You have to say, ‘I would oppose people who would undercut it,'” Bolton said.
He went on to call it “un-American” for Trump to “challenge the Constitution.”
When asked what would lead him to declare his candidacy for president, Bolton said, “I’d like to see Shermanesque statements from all the potential candidates.”
“If I don’t see that, I’m going to seriously consider getting in,” he added.
Watch the video below:
When you challenge the Constitution itself, that is un-American. You can’t simply say, ‘I support the Constitution.’ You have to say, ‘I would oppose people who undercut it.’ If the current GOP presidential candidates don't repudiate Trump, I'm prepared to get in the race. pic.twitter.com/TFYQYbuX31
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) December 6, 2022
Bolton was then asked about a potential timeline for a campaign decision.
He said, “I think it’s going to have to be pretty short. We’ve already got one declared candidate for president in the Republican Party who doesn’t believe in the Constitution.”
Bolton’s comment comes after Trump floated the idea of scrapping parts of the Constitution — and then claimed he did not do so.
Having a presidential candidate who gets mad about election results and calls for terminating parts of our nation’s founding document is dangerous. And suggesting such a move, especially based on a lie, should be disqualifying for office.
But, who thinks a Bolton 2024 bid would actually go anywhere?
The MAGA crowd certainly would not vote for him. And you probably would not get many independent voters to consider voting for a hawkish personality like Bolton in the general election.
Republicans are facing the danger of having everyone from former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) jump in the primary race. And if there are 30 candidates running, it will likely only benefit one person: Donald J. Trump.
When you have multiple candidates representing every policy position possible in the Republican Party, it will split the vote and make it hard for one, clear challenger to emerge. And as a result, Trump will likely be able to win primaries with about 20-30% of the vote.
It may be tempting for Republican politicians to see 2024 as their time to shine. But the larger the field, the more likely it will be Trump will win out.
