Mick Mulvaney Says One of Trump’s Only Serious 2024 GOP Challengers is … The Rock?

In the eyes of his former Chief of Staff, the list of Republicans who could pose a serious challenge to former President Donald Trump has only three names on it. One is obvious. Another is fairly conventional. But the third is way, way out of the box.

Speaking with Politico in an item published by Playbook on Wednesday, former Trump Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney handicapped the 2024 GOP primary field.

“[Gov. Ron] DeSantis [R-FL] could give him a run for his money. [Sen.] Tim Scott [R-SC] can give him a run for his money. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could give him a run for his money,” Mulvaney said.

No, that last name is not a misprint. Mulvaney believes The Rock could lay the smackdown on his former boss in the 2024 primary.

Johnson has openly flirted with a presidential bid for years. His White House ambitions date back to 2017 when he told GQ there was a “real possibility” he would run. He ultimately passed on the 2020 race, but in several 2021 interviews, he reiterated that a future bid may yet be in the cards.

“I would consider a presidential run in the future if that’s what the people wanted,” Johnson USA Today. “Truly I mean that, and I’m not flippant in any way with my answer. That would be up to the people … So I would wait, and I would listen. I would have my finger on the pulse, my ear to the ground.”

And there is evidence that the people do want it. A survey conducted by the consumer research platform Piplsay in 2021 found a majority of Americans would like to see The Rock run for president.

If Johnson does run, Mulvaney believes the actor might have an unlikely ally in his effort to defeat Donald Trump: Donald Trump.

“There’s one other person who could beat him — which is himself,” Mulvaney told Politico. “Donald Trump is sometimes his own worst enemy when it comes to campaigning.”