Why Anti-Trump Republicans Can’t Get on the Same Page

The Run-Up

The New York Times

News Commentary, Politics, News

4.4 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 December 2023

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Watching the Republican primary debates can feel like a study in self sabotage. In the latest one, which Donald Trump skipped, the candidates spent most of their time attacking one another — not the guy who is 50 points ahead in the polls. But there is a logic to it. Candidates are trying to position themselves as the party’s alternative to the former president. And to do that, they have to push one another aside and unite the roughly 40 percent of Republicans who are still up for grabs. This week, we ask anti-Trump Republicans: What’s stopping their coalition from getting on the same page? And with the early contests fast approaching, is it too late? We travel to a debate night watch party for Nikki Haley in New Hampshire and check in with Bob Vander Plaats, an influential Iowa evangelical and supporter of Ron DeSantis.

Transcript

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0:00.0	watching the Republican primary debates can feel like a study in
0:15.5	self-savotage. Her donors, these Wall Street liberal donors, they make money
0:20.8	in China. They are not going to let her be tough on China and she will cave to the donor.
0:26.2	She will not stand up for you.
0:27.6	In the latest one, which Trump skipped again. The other candidates spent most of their time attacking each other.
0:35.0	He's mad because those Wall Street donors used to support him and now they support me.
0:39.0	Not the guy who's 50 points ahead.
0:41.0	He has a company, a Chinese company, you guess,
0:45.0	that he just did a rally there last year.
0:47.1	They have given you 340,000 in campaign commissions.
0:50.8	But there's a certain kind of logic to it.
0:53.0	Candidates are trying to position themselves as the party's alternative to Trump.
0:58.0	And to do that, they have to push each other aside,
1:02.0	and coalesced the roughly 40% of Republicans who don't know what they
1:05.8	want or who won a nominated candidate who is not Donald Trump.
1:11.0	And with the Iowa caucuses in New Hampshire primary, now just around the corner,
1:15.0	time is running out to make that happen, which puts real pressure on the two
1:20.4	candidates who are closest to Trump's leave.
1:23.9	Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador
1:27.7	Nicki Haley.
1:29.5	I wanted to check in with the Republicans who support
1:31.8	these non-Trump options in the states where
	...

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