{"id":1986092,"date":"2023-07-30T08:32:03","date_gmt":"2023-07-30T12:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-candidates-test-how-far-they-can-go-in-criticizing-trump\/"},"modified":"2023-07-30T08:34:45","modified_gmt":"2023-07-30T12:34:45","slug":"republican-candidates-test-how-far-they-can-go-in-criticizing-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-candidates-test-how-far-they-can-go-in-criticizing-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP candidates push boundaries in criticizing Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublican-candidates-test-how-far-they-can-go-in-criticizing-trump%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1986092&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Republican Candidates Navigate\u2063 Criticism\u200d of Trump in 2024 Nomination \u2062Race<\/h2>\n<p>As Republican candidates\u200c vie\u2064 for the 2024\u2062 nomination, some\u2062 have begun to test the waters\u200d of criticizing former President Donald Trump to see just how far they can go without turning off voters.<\/p>\n<p>Most \u200ccandidates are\u200d hesitant to appear\u200c critical of \u2062the former president. Many \u200cwould prefer\u2062 not\u2064 to address Trump at all, but they&#8217;re all \u200cbut forced \u200cto comment amid his mounting\u2063 legal troubles.<\/p>\n<h3>Only a Few Candidates Willing to Take on Trump<\/h3>\n<p>The only Republican\u200b presidential candidates to\u200c take strong stances against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-candidates-test-how-far-they-can-go-in-criticizing-trump\/\" title=\"GOP candidates push boundaries in criticizing Trump\">current primary front-runner<\/a> are those polling at\u2063 2% or less nationally. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, \u200bformer\u200d Texas Republican Rep.\u2064 Will Hurd, and former Arkansas \u2064Gov. Asa\u2063 Hutchinson have\u200b all \u200cbeen willing to tackle the \u200btopic of Trump, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and his mounting \u2062legal \u200cwoes.<\/p>\n<p>Christie, in\u200d particular, has even called out some of the more prominent GOP candidates, attacking them for refusing to\u2063 condemn Trump.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not obsessively anti-Trump like he is.\u200b I\u2062 talk about \u200bpolicies,&#8221; said \u2064former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in response to Christie&#8217;s criticism.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>She isn&#8217;t the only one leading with policy when\u200d it comes \u2064to\u200b Trump.\u200d In fact, several sources with knowledge of \u200bcampaign strategy for some of the leading GOP candidates indicated that this is the only area in \u2062which \u200bthey are\u200b willing\u2063 to take on Trump.<\/p>\n<p>According to Republican \u200dpolitical strategist and pollster Adam Geller,\u2064 policy is a bad way to try and \u2063pick off \u2063Trump voters. He\u200d pointed to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), explaining, \u2063&#8221;To the extent that he&#8217;s been critical\u200c of Trump, he&#8217;s been critical of Trump on\u2064 policy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Geller added \u2064that the Florida governor has \u200clost altitude\u200d in his attempt to be more Right-wing \u2063than Trump.<\/p>\n<p>In\u200b terms of strategies, he advised\u200c that campaigns &#8220;go back to the drawing board.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Perhaps they can \u200blook at some\u200d of the \u2063concerns that people have,\u2064 even those who\u200d love Trump&#8217;s policies,&#8221; Geller suggested.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Geller&#8217;s \u2062warning, this\u2063 is exactly the approach that\u2063 Haley, DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy are taking. Former Vice President Mike \u200bPence and Sen.\u2063 Tim Scott (R-SC) \u200dare similarly \u2064focusing on \u2062policy but have\u200d been \u2062prompted to address Trump on different fronts in\u200c the past.<\/p>\n<p>Pence has been particularly critical of Trump&#8217;s \u2063actions on Jan. 6, with which he is inextricably\u200c linked because of his role as\u2062 vice\u200b president \u2064that day. \u2063Last month, without\u200d naming Trump, he said, &#8220;Anyone who\u2064 puts themselves over the Constitution should never\u200d be president of \u2063the United States,\u200b and anyone who asks someone \u2063else\u2063 to \u200bput them over\u200b the \u200bConstitution should never be president of the\u200d United States again.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Scott, avoiding criticism of the former president regarding\u200b the Capitol riot and his\u200c current legal \u2064trouble, \u200chopes his optimistic \u2062message sets him apart from the competition, including from Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Joining Piers Morgan on\u2063 Fox\u2064 News Tonight earlier this month, Scott was\u200b asked \u2063how he&#8217;s planning on knocking out Trump.\u200b The senator pointed to his &#8220;optimistic, positive message anchored in conservatism with a backbone,&#8221;\u2064 which he said is &#8220;not only resonating, \u2064it\u200b is actually increasing\u2062 the enthusiasm\u2063 we&#8217;re experiencing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However,\u200d this might not be enough, according to \u2064Republican strategists.<\/p>\n<h3>The Dilemma \u200bof Challenging Trump<\/h3>\n<p>By avoiding substantive criticism of Trump, candidates are failing to present an \u200bargument as\u200b to why he shouldn&#8217;t be the nominee, \u2062strategists \u2064explained.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re not going to win\u2064 over \u200dthe people who like Trump \u200c\u2014\u2063 they&#8217;re\u2064 already voting for him if \u200bthey like him,&#8221; Geller claimed. He added \u2063that while many voters are \u200cfond of DeSantis, for example, they also like Trump, and\u200c they haven&#8217;t \u2064been presented a\u2062 case \u200dfor why \u200cthey should abandon him.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What we&#8217;re seeing is that\u200b it is not strategically expedient to not criticize Trump and then expect people to vote for you\u2062 because of \u200dthat. It doesn&#8217;t appear to\u2063 be happening,&#8221; he \u200csaid.<\/p>\n<p>GOP strategist\u200b Susan Del\u200b Percio agreed, noting, &#8220;The path that\u200c many candidates have taken is to be the\u200d alternative to Trump. Well, it is \u2064hard to be \u2063the \u2062alternative to Trump if Trump is still in the race.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She advised that &#8220;candidates should focus on changing the political landscape in states like New Hampshire, which has\u2064 open primaries,&#8221; to allow for participation and perhaps a boost from\u2063 nonaffiliated voters.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Having \u2062it both \u2064ways is a nonstarter, and it&#8217;s perplexing to see that\u2064 strategy deployed,&#8221; fellow Republican strategist Chip Felkel added.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If\u2064 Trump is OK, why should they\u200d vote for Haley or anyone else?&#8221; he asked.<\/p>\n<p>For him, the bottom\u2062 line is, &#8220;You can&#8217;t be\u2063 half-pregnant.\u2064 You have to run\u2063 against him and run hard \u2062if you are a serious candidate and contender.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>None of these candidates, \u2062said managing editor of Sabato\u2019s \u2063Crystal Ball \u2062at the University of Virginia Center for Politics \u2064Kyle Kondik, are controlling their own destiny. &#8220;I think most \u200dof the candidates are hoping someone or something brings down \u2064Donald Trump without them being\u200c the one who \u2063is \u200dseen as holding\u200b the knife in that effort,&#8221;\u2062 he speculated.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the\u2064 day, however, strategists aren&#8217;t sure that a path to beating Trump and winning the \u200cnomination exists at all.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;While there \u2064is a big anti-Trump vote out there, it is \u200bdoubtful that it can be enough to beat Trump,&#8221; Del Percio said. She suggested \u200cthat\u2063 Trump&#8217;s downfall might only come from &#8220;a \u200cself-inflicted mistake\u2062 of \u200dhuge proportions,&#8221; if it comes at all.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump alternative path exists in the \u2062primary, \u200bbut some\u200d strategists \u200dsaid it\u200c doesn&#8217;t end in \u2062the presidency in\u2062 any scenario.<\/p>\n<p>One GOP operative who has worked \u2062on similar campaigns said, \u2064\u201cThere is \u2062no path to the Republican nomination as\u2062 an anti-Trump \u200ccandidate. Politics is always about addition. You have your base \u200dand your following, then you grow it.&#8221; He further pointed to\u200c examples of \u2062Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA)\u2063 and Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) as \u200celectoral\u2063 successes who didn&#8217;t necessarily embrace \u2064Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All in\u200d all, it probably just \u2063shows how strong \u200cTrump is within the party that the other candidates have to handle him with kid gloves\u200c in this way,&#8221; said Kondik.<\/p>\n<p>Less\u200b than \u200csix months from Iowa&#8217;s \u2062first-in-the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-only-2024-caucuses-in-iowa-reflect-its-deepening-red-hue\/\" title=\"Republican-only 2024 caucuses in Iowa reflect its deepening red hue\">-nation presidential caucuses<\/a>, no other Republican has been able to chip \u2064away at Trump&#8217;s lead. \u2062Nationally, Trump \u2062still leads\u2063 the field with\u200d the support\u200c of more than half of Republicans. He further has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chuck-todd-shocking-nbc-poll-shows-71-believe-u-s-is-on-wrong-track-scary-news-for-the-democrats\/\" title=\"Chuck Todd: 'Shocking' NBC Poll Shows 71% Believe U.S. Is on Wrong Track -- 'Scary News for the Democrats'\">double-digit leads<\/a>\u2062 over each \u2062primary\u200c opponent.<\/p>\n<p>And as the former president is hit with federal indictments and target \u2063letters,\u2064 sympathy for him and outrage\u200c toward \u2064the Department \u200bof Justice \u2063only seem to \u2063increase, cementing his lead among Republicans.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/republican-candidates-navigate-criticism-of-trump-in-2024-nomination-race\">CLICK HERE\u2064 TO READ \u200bMORE FROM\u2062 THE\u200d WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As GOP contenders compete for the 2024 nomination, a few cautiously challenge ex-President Donald Trump, gauging the limits of criticism that won&#8217;t alienate voters. Many candidates avoid addressing Trump altogether, while some hesitate to be openly critical.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1986093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1986092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1986092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1986092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1986092\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1986093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1986092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1986092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1986092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}