Republican presidential candidate Larry Elder stated that he would be willing to listen to what former President Donald Trump or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have to say if they asked him to be their running mate.
Elder provided the remarks to Newsweek in the course of an interview, the results of which were published on Monday.
The candidate stated that he is running for president with the intention of winning, but he also stated that he would not rule out the possibility of putting his name to the ticket of another contender.
“I am running for president, I’m not running for vice president, I’m not running for a cabinet position,” Elder said.
He added, “However in the unlikely event I’m not the party nominee, and if Trump or DeSantis or one of the other persons call and ask me to be vice president, I will take the call. I won’t let it go to voicemail.”
Despite calling himself a “big fan” of Trump, Elder said to Newsweek that he does not think the nation’s 45th president can win over people in swing states.
“Here’s the problem; I believe there are so many swing voters in swing states who would not vote for the man if he walked on water,” Elder told Newsweek.
He added, ”In fact, they would accuse him of not being able to swim. I have no idea what to do about Trump derangement syndrome — maybe someday somebody will develop a vaccine.”
Regardless of what he personally thinks of Trump, Elder asserted that the Republican Party needs to get past him.
“I think at some point in this long process Republican voters are doing to realize in order to win in November 2024 they’re going to have to unite behind a candidate whose last name is [something] other than Trump, but for whom a sufficient number of swing voters and swing states will vote, so we can win in November 2024, and I’m making the case that I’m that person,” Elder said.
Additionally, Elder claimed that President Joe Biden, who is 80 years old, “clearly has lost it” and is suffering from “an obvious cognitive decline.”
When Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom faced a recall vote in California in 2021, Elder launched what ultimately turned out to be an unsuccessful campaign for governor.
The state’s voters elected to keep Newsom in office despite the conservative radio host’s lackluster campaign.
In April, Elder made public his intention to run for president.
“America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President,” he wrote on Twitter.
America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President.#WeveGotACountryToSave https://t.co/jOqOBPpre2 pic.twitter.com/MTyibgbKyK
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) April 21, 2023
Since he declared his candidacy, Elder has not been well-liked by prospective primary voters.
Trump received support from 57 percent of likely primary voters, according to a Morning Consult poll issued last week. DeSantis came in second with 19 percent of the vote.
The poll, which showed three other contenders polling at 0%, did not name Elder.
Rephrased from: The Republic Brief By: Trump Knows
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Rephrased from Trump Knows by InfoArmed