- Sen. Mitt Romney says Trump is "very likely" to become the 2024 GOP presidential nominee if he runs.
- "It's hard to imagine anything that would derail his support," Romney said of Trump.
- "I don't delude myself into thinking I have a big swath of the Republican Party," Romney told Politico.
Sen. Mitt Romney says President Donald Trump is "very likely" to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee if he runs.
"I don't delude myself into thinking I have a big swath of the Republican Party," Romney, a two-time Republican presidential contender and 2012 presidential nominee, said in an interview with Politico.
"It's hard to imagine anything that would derail his support," Romney said of Trump. "So if he wants to become the nominee in '24, I think he's very likely to achieve that."
"He's the leader of the party, that's clear," Sen. Josh Hawley told Politico, echoing Romney's comments. "If he decides to run, he will be the nominee."
Trump got his first big win of the 2022 primary cycle on Tuesday with the victory of his endorsed candidate for US Senate, JD Vance, beating a crowded field of Republican opponents in the primary for the race to replace retiring GOP Senator Rob Portman.
Trump's endorsement record will face more tests later this month in primaries in Nebraska, West Virginia, Idaho, and Georgia. But Vance's victory out of a chaotic and rancorous primary contest demonstrates Trump's continued influence over the GOP electorate.
"I told you the endorsement was going to matter. And it did," Portman, who endorsed Vance's rival Jane Timken, told Politico. "He has a very high approval rating among Republican primary voters."
Since leaving office, Trump has repeatedly flirted with a 2024 comeback presidential run without making an official announcement that would subject him to certain campaign finance and other reporting requirements.
"I don't want to comment on running, but I think a lot of people are going to be very happy by my decision," Trump said in an April interview with the Washington Post. "Because it's a little boring now."
Politico reported that President Joe Biden will likely run for reelection in 2024 if Trump runs and defeats a potentially crowded field of ambitious Republicans also seeking the 2024 nomination.
"If I ran, I can't imagine they'd want to run," Trump told the Post of some possible Republican contenders. "Some out of loyalty would have had a hard time running. I think that most of those people, and almost every name you mentioned, is there because of me. In some cases, because I backed them and endorsed them."