Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor conceded Tuesday that he was wrong about Donald Trump’s ability to appeal to Republican voters as a presidential candidate.
“I was predicting way back when that Donald Trump had no chance. I think many of us were,” Cantor said in a CNBC interview Tuesday.
The former Virginia congressman, who was beat out in the 2014 Republican primary by Tea Party-aligned David Brat, said he has left the predictions business. But Cantor admitted there are “a lot of similarities” between his and Trump’s campaigns.
“He does best when it’s open primaries, where he gets independents and those who feel disaffected. Same thing that happened in my primary, overwhelmingly,” Cantor said, who is now vice chair and managing director with Moelis & Co.
Cantor claimed the New York businessman could build up enough support by November to defeat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in a general election match-up.
“I think, you never know, Hillary Clinton is not a strong candidate. Clearly she’s not inspiring those on the Democratic side of the aisle and Bernie Sanders has got the intensity and Donald Trump has sort of changed the rules of the game here,” said Cantor.
Despite rumors, Cantor does not believe the Republican Party would change the rules in an attempt to deny Trump the nomination.
The former Jeb Bush supporter has not endorsed a new GOP candidate since the former Florida governor suspended his campaign in February.
