Washington [US], August 21: A prominent Republican figure in the US Senate has said that former President Donald Trump should give up hope of winning the party's representative in the 2024 presidential election.
Specifically, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana on August 20 argued that Trump could not win the general election against incumbent President Joe Biden .
Asked if Mr. Trump should pull out of the presidential race, Mr. Cassidy told CNN: "I think so. But, obviously, it's up to him. I mean, you're just asking. But he's going to lose to Joe Biden, if you look at the current polls."
Mr. Trump is the leading Republican presidential candidate, despite growing legal troubles including four criminal indictments , one of which involves his handling of classified documents. America after leaving the White House in 2021.
"We could have a presidential candidate indicted. I think Joe Biden needs to be replaced but I don't think Americans will vote for a convicted person. So I'm very sorry. about all this going on," Cassidy said.
In the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, Trump holds 47 percent of the Republican vote nationally. Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fell 6 percentage points from July to just 13%.
Separately, Trump confirmed on August 20 that he would not attend the first Republican primary debate this week, and left open the possibility of absence from similar events in the future. Explaining this decision, the former US president said that he was far behind his opponents in national polls, The Hill reported.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump cited a poll released by CBS News last week that showed him 46 percentage points ahead of the nearest candidate.
"The public knows who I am and how I have had a successful presidency [...] So I will not be entering the debates," Trump wrote.
Trump's announcement came days after it was reported that the former president was planning to give an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Several other Republican candidates have previously called on Mr. Trump to join the debate, including his biggest rival, Mr. DeSantis. Florida's governor said last month that Mr Trump needed to "step up and do it".
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper