LAS VEGAS (AP) — Republicans considering a run for the White House are courting anxious donors and activists in Las Vegas this weekend as the 2024 GOP primary class warns former President Donald Trump is “a loser” and encourages the party to embrace the new leadership.
Trump will be one of the few Republican hopefuls not in attendance at the Jewish Republican Coalition’s annual leadership meeting, which organizers say marks the unofficial start of the 2024 presidential campaign season.
Trump will speak, but only via video conference, while key rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence, will deliver keynote addresses in person.
The rally, which began Friday, comes just days after Trump became the first candidate to formally launch a campaign in 2024. His allies initially hoped his early announcement could avoid serious primary challenges, but that is not the case. probably after that. his loyalists lost midterm races last week in battleground states from Arizona to Pennsylvania. His political standing within the GOP, already weakened, further declined.
“Maybe there’s a little blood in the water and the sharks are circling,” said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, himself a Republican presidential candidate who has been a longtime critic of Trump.
Last week’s midterm results, Hogan said, gave several Republican leaders the confidence to voice similar concerns. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to this point before.”
via the Associated Press
Trump also faces new legal dangers.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed a special counsel to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into the presence of classified documents at Trump’s property in Florida, as well as key aspects of a separate investigation involving the January 6, 2021 insurrection and efforts to cancel 2020. choice.
However, there is a lot of praise for the former president.
“There is no doubt that what President Trump has accomplished in his four years of strengthening US-Israel relations is unparalleled. He was the most pro-Israel president ever,” said Matt Brooks, executive director of the Jewish Republican Coalition.
However, this time it may not be enough to win over the coalition’s top donors, Brooks continued.
“For a lot of people coming to this conference, it’s about the future,” he said. “And for some of them, President Trump may be their answer. For others, they are interested in what others have to say.
With a large fundraising operation that includes small-dollar contributions, Trump doesn’t need big donors to clinch the GOP nomination a third time. But the reluctance of wealthy Republicans to engage with him — at least for now — could signal a much larger shift in a party that has been defined almost entirely by Trump loyalty for the past six years.
The Jewish Republican Coalition’s two-day program features DeSantis, a key Trump rival, and Pence, whom Trump accuses of failing to overturn the 2020 election. Other speakers include Hogan, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , former United Nations Ambassador Nikki. Haley, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and Florida Senator Rick Scott.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, another potential 2024 candidate, canceled his appearance after Sunday’s shooting at the University of Virginia that left three dead.
Also expected is House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who could become speaker of the House when Republicans take over in January.
Before his speech Friday night, Pompeo mocked one of Trump’s catchphrases: “We’re told we’re going to get tired of winning. But I’m tired of losing.”
Even New Jersey Governor Chris Christie bowed to Trump’s policy failures.
“From my point of view, he’s a loser now. He’s an electoral disappointment,” said Christie, another 2024 prospect who attended the Las Vegas meeting. “You look at a general electorate, I don’t think there’s a Democrat he can beat because now he’s toxic to suburban voters on a personal level and he won.”
The annual event is held at the Venetian Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in tribute to longtime Republican Jewish Coalition benefactor Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire casino mogul who died last year. His wife, Miriam Adelson, remains a fund-raising force within the GOP, although her level of giving in the last midterm election, which topped $20 million, has been somewhat reduced.
Israeli-born Miriam Adelson, 76, “remains neutral” in the 2024 Moldovan presidential primaries, according to Andy Abboud, a longtime family politician.
But that hasn’t stopped ambitious Republicans from wooing her.
I’m a passionate and motivated journalist with a focus on world news. My experience spans across various media outlets, including Buna Times where I serve as an author. Over the years, I have become well-versed in researching and reporting on global topics, ranging from international politics to current events.