Donald Trump has gleefully celebrated growing calls for Joe Biden to end his reelection bid, confident that he can defeat any Democrat who challenges him — but some members of the GOP aren’t so sure.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and longtime Trump ally, on CBS’ “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” Sunday said a new Democratic challenger would make the race “dramatically different” for Trump.
“President Biden will most likely be replaced, and Kamala Harris is gonna be very vigorous,” Graham said, speculating that the vice president would take up Biden’s mantle in the race if he stepped aside, as many have suggested. “If Biden steps down, Harris is going to have to pick somebody to help her. If she does become the nominee, this is a dramatically different race than it is right now today. I hope people are thinking about that on our side.”
Graham added that Trump’s focus now should be on picking a strong running mate to “add value in 2024, expand the map, prosecute the case against the liberals.” Trump has not yet announced a vice president pick in his campaign, but Graham noted that South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Ohio Sen. JD Vance are among his top choices.
Representatives for Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
While Biden has thus far maintained his intention to stay in the race, it appears Graham is not the only Republican Congressman concerned about what it would mean if he stepped aside.
Fox News reported a House Republican, who spoke to the outlet on the condition of anonymity, said a younger and potentially more popular candidate on the Democratic ticket would spell for “a tougher race” for Trump.
“As a human, it’s probably good for Joe Biden that he’s now probably not going to have to be subjected to this another four years. But for the party, it’s not great. It’s not clear to me that it’s good for us, either,” the GOP lawmaker said.
Trump versus Biden, the House Republican said, was “a very lopsided fight,” adding that Democrats “would be insane to run Biden again” — but the idea that the incumbent president could be replaced isn’t necessarily a positive for the Republican Party.
“It changes everything,” the GOP lawmaker told Fox News. “It’s just a completely unknown wild card right now.”
A second House Republican and a senior House GOP aide echoed those concerns to Fox News, with the aide saying explicitly that Biden’s continued candidacy is Trump’s best bet for reelection.
“Virtually any Democrat that potentially replaces Biden has an exponentially better chance of defeating Trump,” the senior House GOP aide told Fox News. “Biden staying at the top of the ticket is the best-case scenario for a Republican trifecta.”
When Business Insider reached out for comment, representatives for Trump pointed to a recent post on Truth Social in which Trump urged Biden to stay in the race.
“Crooked Joe Biden should ignore his many critics and move forward, with alacrity and strength, with his powerful and far reaching campaign,” Trump’s post, published Saturday, read. “Yes, Sleepy Joe should continue his campaign of American Destruction and, MAKE CHINA GREAT AGAIN!”
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