Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich warned Wednesday of a replay of the 1964 presidential election, where Republicans of different factions within the party split their vote and guarantee Democrats victory.
Gingrich told The New York Times that Trump is not to blame for Republican’s loss in Georgia, but warned that the GOP vote could become split between pro- and anti-Trump voters. The incident could be a replay of the 1964 election, when conservative voters backed Barry Goldwater and moderate voters went for Nelson Rockefeller. (RELATED: Marjorie Taylor Greene Denounces Nick Fuentes After Speaking At His Conference In February)
“My greatest fear is that we’re going to end up in a 1964 division,” Gingrich said. “I can imagine a Trump-anti-Trump war over the next two years that just guarantees Biden’s re-election in a landslide and guarantees that Democrats control everything.”
.@newtgingrich on prospects of a disastrous 2024 cycle:
“I can imagine a Trump-anti-Trump war over the next two years that just guarantees Biden’s re-election in a landslide and guarantees that Dems control everything.”
Via @jonathanweisman @mayaaking https://t.co/DK9ZfXCcSv
— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) December 8, 2022
Trump announced his run for president in 2024 during a televised speech at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in November. President Joe Biden, who has offered ambiguous statements regarding his 2024 plans, told reporters who asked if he had a response to Trump’s run, “not really.”
After Trump-backed candidate Herschel Walker lost his Senate bid in Georgia, giving Democrats the majority in the Senate, many prominent Republicans blamed Trump for the loss.
Trump’s former national security advisor John Bolton said, “The outcome in Georgia is due primarily to Trump, who cast a long shadow over this race.” On Wednesday, a former Trump advisor called Walker’s loss a “wake-up call for the Republican Party.”
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in November that he was “tired of losing” after a disappointing midterm performance where a slate of Trump backed candidates lost their races.