‘We’re not a cult’: GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy says he doesn’t think Trump will be party’s 2024 nominee

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy accused Donald Trump of the GOP’s unexpectedly disappointing medium-term performance and suggested that he does not believe the former president and de facto party leader will be the party’s candidate in 2024.

Second-term senator from Louisiana told NBC’s Chuck Todd that the GOP is “not a cult.”

“We’re not like, ‘Okay, there’s one person running the party.'”

“We will not have one person anointed unless he or she is a sitting president,” he said.

Cassidy specifically called out Trump-backed candidates who lost their races because Republicans failed to gain majority control in the Senate and lose winnable seats in the House.

“The ones that most resembled the past are the ones that underperformed,” Cassidy said on NBC’s Meet the Press.

Cassidy told NBC’s Chuck Todd that he doesn’t believe Donald Trump will be the party’s presidential candidate in 2024 and that those closest to him fared worse in the medium term.

Former President Donald Trump is expected to announce a third bid for the presidency of Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. GOP members are torn by their support of his continued presence on top of the ticket

‘As a party, we need to have a debate about ideas. In that debate, we need to explain to the American people exactly where we think our country is headed,” he said.

After a disheartening midterm election, with Republicans expected to win a number of seats in the House and Senate, the party is trying to determine how to better serve their interests in 2024.

Republicans are still likely to gain control of the House of Representatives pending the outcome of several critical races — but the majority won’t be nearly as big as once expected.

Senate control appears out of reach of the GOP as incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto was declared the likely winner of a competitive race against Adam Laxalt in Nevada.

Senator Cassidy said he believes the outcome of the election is that “the American people want a path forward that really focuses on ideas.

“Ideas that will make their lives better, not just their lives, but for generations to come,” he said.

Todd repeatedly asked Cassidy for his opinion on Donald Trump and whether he blames the former president for some of the candidates who fell short.

“Those closest to the former president underperformed,” he said. “Those who talk about the future or who had managed their state well have surpassed them.”

“The American people want ideas. They want a future,” he repeated.

When asked at the end of the interview whether he would support Trump as the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, he declined to respond directly, suggesting that the party will not re-nominate the real estate mogul.

‘Our party must be about the future. I think our next candidate will look to the future, not the past, and I think our next candidate will win,” he said.

“I expect to support a candidate who looks to the future,” he added.

During his second impeachment trial, after Jan. 6, Senator Cassidy was one of seven senators who voted to convict the former president.

Cassidy said he will support Mitch McConnell in his midst to remain Senate GOP head even after a rocky Senate cycle. McConnell may face a serious challenge in the party’s upcoming leadership election

Trump has tried to blame the party’s poor performance over the medium term on Senate minority leader McConnell, who he has often said would like to be removed from leadership.

Trump is expected to launch his third presidential bid in Mar-a-Lago next week, much to the dismay of some in his party.

The former president has also been highly critical of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, who may face a challenger in the upcoming Senate leadership election, especially after Republicans failed to capitalize on expected gains. to reach the Senate.

However, Cassidy said he will support McConnell as leader of his party in the Senate.

“I think Mitch pulled the strings out of the fire for candidates who, for whatever reason, struggled to raise the money that, as you pointed out, was needed to have a winning campaign,” said Cassidy, adding. that he believed McConnell would emerge victorious in the leadership election.

McConnell’s Super PAC – the Senate Leadership Fund – was responsible for some significant cash injections into races that were unexpectedly tight like Ted Budd’s in North Carolina.

Some conservative senators — including Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas — have called for Senate leadership elections to be held. to set.

But GOP leaders are trying to stick to the schedule.

Wyoming Senate Conference Chairman John Barasso wrote to GOP senators on Friday to tell them the party is leadership elections on Wednesday, as scheduled.