Michael Steele, a former chair of the Republican National Committee, on Monday warned people to get real over the GOP primaries.
After Donald Trump swept to victory in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, Steele dismissed suggestions the former president may not become the Republican 2024 nominee. Instead, Steele predicted Trump will now win the primaries in New Hampshire, with close to 50% of the vote, before defeating his rivals in South Carolina and Nevada too.
“I think people need to be realistic about whose party this is,” Steele told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki. “People want to run a race that doesn’t exist and you just need to stop it and recognize the facts.”
“I mean, I don’t know, what do I know?” he sarcastically added. “I was a county chairman, a state chairman, a national chairman. I think I know a little bit about how the party works internally.”
Steele led the RNC from 2009 to 2011. Psaki pointed out the party has changed significantly following Trump’s arrival on the political scene.
“The party has changed a lot,” Steele acknowledged. “I’ve watched it change on my watch. I’ve been a part of it. I’ve been in that room. I know these folks. I know them well and they are committed to the guy who is right now sitting here with all of 50% coming out of Iowa going into New Hampshire.”
“How much steam do you think he loses when he gets to New Hampshire? How much steam do you think he loses when he gets to South Carolina and Nevada?” he continued.
“Be realistic about what we’re talking about here,” said Steele. “I mean, I get everybody wants to put this in the traditional presidential race box. This has not been a traditional presidential race since 2016. And we need to stop looking at it that way and understand that the guy who represents an existential threat to this country […] is about to become the nominee of my party.”
“That concerns me,” Steele added. “And I don’t see [former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations] Nikki Haley, I don’t see anybody else stopping that from happening.”
Watch Steele’s comments here:
