Voters want anyone but Donald Trump or Joe Biden as president in 2024 but will get the "worst dumpster fire of a campaign in history" if no changes are made, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove said.
"Neither party's front-runner will be easily dislodged" Rove wrote Thursday for the Wall Street Journal.
"But if no changes are made, Americans will get the worst dumpster fire of a campaign in history. It doesn't have to be this way, and everyone but Messrs. Trump and Biden has good reason to try changing it. The party that picks a fresh face will likely win the White House."
Rove, citing a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, said neither candidate looks good.
The poll shows Biden trailing Trump in five of the six most important battleground states and "shows a real risk for Mr. Biden from three blocs critical to his 2020 victory and his hopes for a 2024 repeat — young, Latino and black voters," Rove wrote.
"His drop among these groups is driven by poor approval numbers on key issues — especially the economy — and a widespread feeling that he's too old (71% of respondents agreed) and doesn't have the "mental sharpness" to be president (62%)."
Trump, on the other hand, beats Biden but his GOP opponents beat Biden by even bigger margins "in every battleground state, leading the Democrat by 14 to 18 points in each one," Rove wrote.
"This suggests Republicans could score a historic victory next year if they run a new face. … Democrats are right to be scared, but Republicans should be concerned, too. Both party's front-runners have enormous weaknesses.
"Joe and Jill Biden are deluding themselves if they believe only he can defeat Mr. Trump. But the GOP leader could sink his own campaign with his constant trashing of his intra-party rivals and their supporters. Turned off, they could fail to turn out or even turn away from the GOP."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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