Well folks, it looks like the 2024 Republican primaries are shaping up to be quite the showdown. Former GOP presidential contender, Jeb Bush, is gearing up to face off against none other than former President Donald Trump, but not in the way you might expect. You see, while Trump is busy proclaiming that today’s GOP is not the same party as it was ten years ago, Bush is throwing his weight behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who may just end up being Trump’s strongest challenger.
During his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Trump made it clear that the Republican Party has changed and will never go back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush.
According to Breitbart News, Trump boldly declared, “We had a Republican Party that was ruled by freaks, neocons, globalists, open border zealots, and fools, but we are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush!”
WATCH:
President Trump: “We had a Republican Party that was ruled by freaks, neocons, globalists, open border zealots, and fools, but we are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush!” pic.twitter.com/qP59PZw8vN
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) March 4, 2023
Meanwhile, Bush appeared to endorse DeSantis, telling Fox Nation that the Florida Governor is one of those rare politicians who truly wants to serve. He reminisced about his father, George H.W. Bush, and DeSantis, highlighting their shared experience as captains of the Yale baseball team. When asked about DeSantis potentially running for president, Bush had nothing but praise for him, saying, “I think it is [time]. He’s been a really effective governor. He’s young. I think we’re on the verge of a generational change in our politics–I kind of hope so. I think it’s time for a more forward-leaning future-oriented conversation or politics as well.”
But what about Trump’s plans for the GOP? During his CPAC speech, he made it clear that he aims to free the United States from several groups he deems “villains and scoundrels,” including globalists, communists, and the mainstream media (which he referred to as “fake news”). He also talked about transforming the GOP since his entry into the party in 2015:
“When we started this journey, a journey like there has never been before, there’s never been anything like this, we had a Republican Party that was ruled by freaks, Neocons, globalists, open borders, zealots and fools, but we are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove and Jeb Bush.”
He went on to criticize politicians, including some Republicans, who seek to “destroy our great social security system,” saying, “We’re not going back to people that want to destroy our great social security system. Even some in our own party, I wonder who that might be, that want to raise the minimum age of social security to 70, 75, or even 80.” Trump’s words seemed to be aimed at his former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who also spoke at CPAC and called for entitlement reforms.
It’s clear that the battle for the future of the Republican Party is just getting started, with Bush and DeSantis on one side and Trump on the other. And while Trump may have transformed the GOP during his time as president, it remains to be seen whether his influence will continue to shape the party in the years to come. One thing is for sure, though: the 2024 Republican primaries are going to be one for the history books.
Sources: ConservativeBrief, Breitbart News
