Former Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush said in an interview that he thinks there should be a Republican challenger to U.S. President Donald Trump in the upcoming 2020 election.
“I think someone should run,” Bush told The Axe Files host and former president Barack Obama’s advisor David Axelrod on CNN, which aired Saturday evening. “Just because Republicans ought to be given a choice.
“It’s hard to beat a sitting president, but to have a conversation about what it is to be a conservative I think is important,” he said. “And our country needs to have competing ideologies … that are dynamic, that focus on the world we’re in and the world we’re moving towards rather than revert back to a nostalgic time.”
Bush added that Republicans need to offer alternatives to Democrats’ ideas rather than calling them “bad,” and said he doesn’t consider Trump a conservative.
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“He’s done conservative things but he is not advocating little ‘L’ liberal democracy or freedom or liberty or entrepreneurial capitalism,” he said. “His message is them and us: they’re bad, we’re good.”
Bush did note that Trump does have a “strong, loyal base,” which would make him a challenge to beat.
Bush faced Trump in 2016 but never rose above fourth place in any primary.
One name Bush mentioned could have an opportunity to run against Trump was Maryland Republican governor Larry Hogan.
Hogan’s inauguration speech in January led some to question whether he may be eyeing a 2020 bid.
Bush spoke at that inauguration, saying he admired Hogan and that he “embodies the strong independent leadership America needs now.”
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Hogan has yet to rule out a 2020 bid and plans to visit New Hampshire in April, the first presidential primary state.
No Republican has announced a bid against Trump, but there is speculation other Republicans, such as former senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) could step up.
In January, the Republican National Committee (RNC), which is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, voted unanimously to give its “undivided support” to Trump.
Trump’s re-election campaign has already been merged with the RNC, giving Trump’s team the committee’s field organizing and fundraising efforts.
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