This article was first published in the On the Trail 2024 newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox on Tuesday and Friday mornings here. To submit a question to next week’s Friday Mailbag, email onthetrail@deseretnews.com.
Good morning and welcome to On the Trail 2024, the Deseret News’ campaign newsletter. I’m Samuel Benson, Deseret’s national political correspondent.
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Have a question for next week’s mailbag? Drop me a line at onthetrail@deseretnews.com.
Here’s more of the Deseret News’ 2024 election coverage:
- GOP debate: Christie blasts Ramaswamy. Haley and DeSantis attack each. No one touches front-runner Trump
- RFK Jr. wins lawsuit to get on Utah ballot
- Poll: Republicans think Trump will win — but if he doesn’t, this is who they think will be the nominee
- Poll: If Trump wins GOP nomination, Nikki Haley top pick as VP — but others aren’t far behind
The Big Idea
The Republicans don’t seem to like each other
If we learned nothing from Wednesday’s debate, we now know the Republican candidates don’t like each other very much. Chris Christie took every chance to slam Ron DeSantis. DeSantis was unsparing in his critiques of Vivek Ramaswamy. And Ramaswamy — the brashest of the bunch — seemed to insult Nikki Haley in every possible way.
But context here is important. All of these candidates are trailing former president Donald Trump by huge margins in national polls, and barring a major shift over the next two months, Trump will be the nominee.
Let’s say something does shift, though, and Haley or DeSantis wins the nomination. That puts all the candidates in an interesting situation. A prerequisite to participating in the debates was signing a “loyalty pledge” — promising to support the eventual Republican nominee. Trump refused, and he hasn’t participated in any debates. The others, though, begrudgingly signed on the dotted line.
It’s hard to imagine any scenario in which most of the candidates would follow through on their pledge. If Trump is the nominee, Ramaswamy and DeSantis will likely follow through, if they have any hope of maintaining a following within the party and running in 2028. (Trump, it should be noted, is open to selecting Ramaswamy as his running mate.)
But what about Ramaswamy, if, say, Haley wins the nomination? Ramaswamy has nothing good to say about the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor. At the debate, he called her “corrupt,” mocked her experience and compared her intelligence to a three-year-old. Christie eventually butted in and asked Ramaswamy to stop the personal attacks.
After the debate, as Ramaswamy was leaving an interview with Megyn Kelly, I asked him if he’d honor the pledge, if Haley is the nominee.
He wouldn’t answer the question. “I take that pledge about as seriously as Chris Christie or any other candidate on that stage takes it,” he said.
I followed up twice, asking if he’d support Haley, and he gave the same answer. You can see his responses here:
Christie, it should be noted, has called the pledge a “bad idea” and is clear about his unwillingness to support Trump, should the former president win the nomination. Christie doesn’t seem to have a much more favorable view of Ramaswamy and DeSantis, though, and even Haley — who he’s defended in multiple debates and shares many of his positions — is a punching bag in his stump speeches.
It’s not any more likely that DeSantis or Ramaswamy endorse Christie. But at the first debate, Ramaswamy, DeSantis and Haley each rose their hands when asked if they would support Trump as the nominee, even if he were a convicted criminal. On that, they seem to see eye-to-eye.
Don’t expect them to agree on much else — or to willingly endorse each other — if it comes to that.
Weekend reads
Remember Rick Santorum? The ex-Republican senator from Pennsylvania? The guy who finished second to Romney in 2012, who won, then lost, then won Iowa, after it was too late? No? Well, he’s back in the spotlight, and he’s calling himself the “patron saint” of this year’s crop of GOP presidential candidates. If Santorum, who was polling in single digits at this point in 2011, can wind up in second place, why not these long-shots? Rick Santorum is back — the ‘patron saint’ of every 2024 long-shot campaign (Adam Wren, Politico)
Many of Trump’s trials will not conclude for months or for years. But Americans should feel hopeful, this essay notes — because it shows that even those who seem to be above the law are subject to our justice system. “Indeed, while the final chapters have yet to be written, it is not too soon for patriotic Americans to publicly take pride in what is now clear—that our rule of law is durable and works, even under the most challenging circumstances.” The Trump Prosecutions Are Cause to Celebrate the Rule of Law (Donald Ayer, The Atlantic)
President Joe Biden is adamant that he will be on the ballot next November. This week, though, he revealed his motivation: beating Trump. “If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” he told donors. Later in the week, he claimed he’s not the only Democrat he believes can beat Trump — there’s 50 who can, he said — but Biden is holding firm that he’ll be the one. Biden Says ‘I’m Not Sure I’d Be Running’ if Not for Trump (Peter Baker, The New York Times)
Friday mailbag
A silly question this week, from reader Mike N.:
Would you like to tell us — or find out — who is really the President of the United States right now? Someone knows. I am sure many people in the government and the media know. Just the American people don’t know.
It’s Joe Biden, who won a free and fair election in 2020. Conspiracy theories that claim Biden has stepped down or is not acting as president have no merit, as far as I can tell.
See you on the trail.
Samuel
Editor’s Note: The Deseret News is committed to covering issues of substance in the 2024 presidential race from its unique perspective and editorial values. Our team of political reporters will bring you in-depth coverage of the most relevant news and information to help you make an informed decision. Find our complete coverage of the election here.