WATCH: RNC Chair Tries to Convince CNN’s Dana Bash That Trump Would Somehow Pledge to Support a 2024 GOP Candidate Who Defeated Him
If Donald Trump loses the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination, he will bow out gracefully and support the person that defeats him.
That’s what RNC chair Ronna McDaniel seems to believe, at least. Sunday morning on CNN’s State of the Union, McDaniel tried to convince a visibly skeptical Dana Bash that the former president would pledge to support the eventual 2024 Republican nominee — whoever it is. Such a pledge is, according to McDaniel, likely to be a requirement to participate in any RNC-sanctioned presidential debates.
“Anyone getting on the Republican National Committee debate stage should be able to say, ‘I will support the will of the voters, and the eventual nominee of our party,'” McDaniel said.
Bash then confronted McDaniel with comments made by Trump earlier this month on that very subject.
“It would depend,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, when asked if he would agree to back the GOP candidate. “I would give you the same answer I gave in 2016 during the debate. It would have to depend on who the nominee was.”
“So are you prepared to block the former president if he doesn’t sign?” Bash asked McDaniel.
The RNC chair noted that Trump did sign the pledge in 2016, and voiced her belief that he’ll do the same this time around.
“I think they’re all going to sign it, I really do,” McDaniel said. “I think the voters are very intent on winning and they do want to see a debate stage of people saying, ‘I’m not going to support this guy, I’m not gonna support this guy.’ What they need to say is, ‘I will do everything I can to defeat Joe Biden.’ And that means supporting the nominee of the Republican party.
Bash had difficulty buying the idea that Donald Trump would be a gracious loser.
“You can’t see a scenario where Donald Trump would just skip the debate, if he’s forced to sign something?” Bash asked.
“I think President Trump would like to be on the debate stage,” McDaniel said. “That’s what he likes to do. And I suspect they’ll all be there.”
Of course, signing such a pledge and adhering to it are two very different things. Trump has already accused his chief 2024 rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), of pedophilia, among other smears — making it very difficult to imagine the former president giving stump speeches for GOP presidential nominee Ron DeSantis in October 2024, should the governor win the Republican primary.
Watch above, via CNN.
