Donald Trump's official entry into the 2024 race is apparently not scaring potential rivals away. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told CNN Thursday that he's "very seriously" exploring a run for the GOP nomination himself. "He's a known quantity now," Hutchinson said of Trump. "We know the chaos that comes with him, and that's really not the kind of leadership that's good for America and, really, the future of our party." The Hill, meanwhile, notes that while some of Trump's strongest backers on Capitol Hill have endorsed him, "a long list" of other Republicans is holding off.
"I thought the timing was off," GOP Rep. David Schweikert says of Trump's campaign launch. "I mean, for many of us, we're just still trying to figure out—we still have races that aren't declared yet." More notably, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy also sidestepped the question of a Trump endorsement. Perhaps more troubling for Trump is that three billionaire Republican donors—Stephen Schwarzman, Ken Griffin, and Ronald Lauder—said this week they intend to support a different candidate, reports the New York Times. Possible contenders mentioned in the story include Mike Pence and three governors: Florida's Ron DeSantis, Virginia's Glenn Youngkin, and South Dakota's Kristi Noem.
The Times notes that political obituaries for Trump have for years proved to be off base. The paper also points out that party officials closest to the former president's base—state lawmakers and county GOP leaders—say they're not seeing defections among supporters. "I haven't had anybody express their dissatisfaction with Trump since the midterms," says Terry Brand, the GOP chairman in Wisconsin's rural Langlade County. "The people that supported Trump in 2016 and 2020, the real supporters, they're going to support him again." (More Donald Trump stories.)
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