President Trump is the likely Republican nominee in 2024, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in a good position to win in 2028 and occupy the Oval Office for eight years, suggests former Trump Cabinet member Dr. Ben Carson.
The renowned retired neurosurgeon, who served as secretary for Housing and Urban Development under Trump, was asked in a podcast interview whether he thought Trump or DeSantis would win in a hypothetical 2024 primary matchup, the Tennessee Star reported.
"I think that’s a very difficult question. When you look at the kinds of crowds Trump is getting and the enthusiasm of those crowds, it’s hard to dismiss that," he told "Over-Caffeinated," a podcast of the Beacon Center of Tennessee, a free-market think tank based in Nashville.
"I think if he moderated his tone, which he might well do since he can’t run again after that – I think he could probably get the nomination," Carson said of Trump.
"I think DeSantis is probably smart enough to realize that he's in a very good position. Let those four years go by, and he’s in a very good position to get an eight-year term," he said.
As for the Democratic Party nomination, Carson said he didn't think that any of the names frequently listed, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., would end up as the party's candidate.
"Remember in the 1992 conversation, at this time, nobody knew who Bill Clinton was," he recalled. "I don't think that any of the names you've mentioned are going to be it. I think the Democrats sometimes demonstrate tremendous intellectual ability but I think they know they've got to come up with something better than they've been tossing out there."
Carson said the biggest threat to the United States is not Russia, China, North Korea or Iran, it's those who are dividing the country from within.
"The real enemies are those who are driving wedges based upon race, based on gender, income, age, political affiliation, religious affiliation, whatever – trying to divide us and make us hate each other, he said.
In 2020, Carson launched a non-profit called the American Cornerstone Institute. The think tank says on its website that, guided by "our cornerstones of faith, liberty, community, and life," its objective is to "strengthen the bonds that hold our country together by promoting conservative, commonsense solutions to the issues facing our society."
"These four cornerstones laid the foundation for the greatest nation the world has ever seen. Their promotion and preservation can secure the United States of America as a beacon of hope and freedom for generations to come."
See the interview:
via wnd