A former House GOP aide said former President Donald Trump is likely to announce his 2024 presidential bid soon, despite mounting criticism he faced during the Jan. 6 hearings.
“Well, we all know from past experience that Donald Trump doesn’t care about anybody but Donald Trump,” said Curt Bardella, a former GOP senior adviser on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee turned in a Trump critic, on MSNBC on Saturday.
“So it doesn’t surprise me that when he’s facing the criticism that’s piling up right now, after the Jan. 6 hearings, he’s considering pulling the trigger now,” he added.
Bardella, now a Democrat, said he welcomed the idea of Trump announcing his presidential bid, suggesting it could “blow up the Republican Party before November.”
Bardella’s comments came amid speculation that Trump intends to announce his candidacy in 2024 early in an attempt to stem the tide of criticism against him in the wake of damning witness testimony subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 committee investigating the Capitol riot.
But some Republicans worry that an early statement from Trump could hurt the GOP in the upcoming midterm elections. Sources close to Trump told CBS that no final decision has been made on whether or not he will run, nor when that announcement will be made.
There is also speculation that Trump could face obstruction of justice charges after Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the GOP vice chairwoman of the committee since Jan. 6, presented evidence that the Trump camp may have been involved in tampering with witnesses.
Bardella said it would be typical of Trump not to consider how his actions might affect his party.
“At the end of the day, he’ll do whatever he wants. He’s shown that time and time again, this guy has the impulse control of a damn little kid,” he said, adding that Trump is the “big one” the Republican Party created.
Bardella added that behind the scenes, Republicans who want to “get rid of Donald Trump” may have been “supporting the January 6 committee.”
“These guys have been wanting to divorce Donald Trump for the last five years,” he said. “They just lacked the guts, the ability, the guts to actually do it.”
Since 2021, Trump has repeatedly dabbled in running for president. In January, a video surfaced showing Trump referring to himself as the “45th and 47th president.”
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