Bill Kristol aims to take Never Trump to 2020.
The editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard spoke to a gathering of business leaders in Manchester, N.H., on Wednesday, and while there talked to BuzzFeed about the possibility of some individuals in President Trump’s orbit who might challenge him in the GOP presidential primaries as he seeks re-election.
The report said Kristol “wondered hopefully” about the possibility of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis or U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley making a run. Also mentioned were Mitt Romney, currently a U.S. Senate candidate in Utah, and Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who has been a vocal critic of Trump.
All three of the aforementioned men were floated by Kristol in 2016 as people he would have liked to launch an independent bid. Kristol’s other pick in 2016, National Review writer David French, also declined to run.
In Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who did run for the GOP nomination in 2016, Kristol sees a “formidable” challenge to Trump.
“He did pretty well here in 2016,” Kristol said at the New Hampshire event. “I think he would have sort of, I won’t say first call, but I think he would be a formidable figure, and others would probably step back if he were going to do it.”
Meanwhile, in response to some talk about Kristol himself embarking in a 2020 campaign, the longtime conservative commentator tamped down the possibility of that scenario playing out. He told BuzzFeed that the only situation in which he could imagine himself running is if no one else runs, but not before he reaches out to his friends to try and convince them to commit to a bid.
Editor’s note: The Washington Examiner and The Weekly Standard are owned by the same parent company, Clarity Media Group.
