- Republicans are reportedly concerned about a
Trump 2024 bid announcement. - They believe it could upend their midterm plans.
Top Republicans believe that they can maximise their performance in the election by focusing attacks on President Joe Biden and on topics like inflation, and fear a distraction from Trump, the article said.
The GOP is likely to retake the House in the midterms, and possibly the Senate, per projections from the polling site FiveThirtyEight.
But an early Trump declaration is an extra factor that could harm the party's chances.
"The political landscape and environment is favorable. And I think the fewer disruptions, obviously, the better," said Senate Minority Whip John Thune told the outlet.
"Anything you have that takes you off of what your message is, or creates distractions, is obviously something you'd have to adapt to."
Thune's intervention is notable for being a time a senior Republican has said in public they would rather not see an early Trump declaration.
Politico characterized that view as typical of leading Republicans, without citing other specifics. Sen. Chuck Grassley seemed to concur, saying: "I don't even want to think about the presidential election until after the midterms."
Insider recently reported similar prospects for Republicans in the case of an early Trump declaration.
Ryan C. Barber and Kimberly Leonard interviewed GOP strategists who warned of a "train wreck" in such a scenario.
CNN recently reported that Trump is considering timing his announcement to distract from the Jan. 6 committee hearings, where witnesses have presented damaging testimony about his bid to overturn his defeat in 2020, culminating in the Capitol riot.
In recent days he has further teased a potential run on his Truth Social page, sharing a Town Hall column hyping a potential campaign.
He also responded to a news cycle about Joe Biden's age by saying out that being old isn't necessarily a barrier. Trump is 76 and if re-elected would be the same age in his term as Biden is now.