Is Donald Trump Truly Electable in 2024?

Can Donald Trump win the 2024 Presidential election?

Transcript

Will Loconto:

I'm Will Loconto. I'm here with my partner Cindy Bass. Today we're asking the question, “is Donald Trump electable in 2024?”

Cindy Bass:

Well, what do you think

Will Loconto:

My gut tells me he is not electable in 2024. I voted for him multiple times. I would, again, if he is the nominee. I don't think 2023 Donald Trump is 2016 Donald Trump, or even 2020 Donald Trump. Things are different now. Things have changed. He's different now. Things like “drain the swamp” and “stolen election” don't move the needle for me right now where the country is. He has a history of hiring bad people.

Cindy Bass:

Don't they all hire bad people?

Will Loconto:

Everybody hires bad people. But Trump has a unique ability to hire people or leave people in place that probably should have been not hired, or they should have been fired before they were able to do damage. But he's got a long history of people that work for him that either are leaking information, actively working against him.

Cindy Bass:

Or butt kissers.

Will Loconto:

Or butt kissers. Yes. No. Right. But there's nothing that leads me to believe that he was suddenly going to be better at it this time. The idea that he might be indicted for more things, may be even convicted of something, even wrongfully convicted of something. The simplest way to put this is Trump in 2023 is very similar to Hillary Clinton in 2016, where there is a vast majority of voters who have already made up their mind which way they would vote on Donald Trump.

Cindy Bass:

I think I agree with that.

Will Loconto:

Hillary Clinton had a built in negative coalition against her to where if she was going to win, it would've been by 1% of the voters.

Cindy Bass:

I think she could have won. That's me. I'm not a Hillary fan, but she does have quite a following. Donald Trump. I like him, and I think the indictment was strategically done. I think people are playing games. I think this is ridiculous.

Will Loconto:

Yeah, purely political.

Cindy Bass:

It's political. And Trump was trying to play the game. I do think it got to him though. I saw his face in the courtroom. It's not fun. I mean, this is serious and

Will Loconto:

Right. He can joke about it all. He wants to, but he really got indicted for something. Yes.

Cindy Bass:

And being a political game, the country, everyone, Republicans and Democrats were being played with. I would just love to see people with integrity running this country and not have games. But Donald Trump to me is electable. I disagree with you.

Will Loconto:

Well, I just don't think that there's a pool of independent people out there that haven't made up their mind one way or the other on Donald Trump. I don't.

Cindy Bass:

Yes, but listen, we've got Biden the Dodo up there. He's a puppet. He's being led around by Obama and all these people, and he's that old. He's got dementia and he's running again, which is crazy. Which you and I believe that Gavin Newsom is probably going to be an up and coming

Will Loconto:

Installed somehow.

Cindy Bass:

Yeah. Installed star of the Democratic world. But he is a fraud and has mismanaged California. It's a joke. California is a joke, but it's getting back to Donald Trump. I really believe he's electrical. And this is why this country is so sick of Biden and all that's going on right now, that when we were with President Trump, he did a lot of great things. He does call people names. He has done some things in the past. I don't even care if he had an affair or whatever with that stormy girl or if he grabs someone's crotch. I don't care at this point because every freaking president has got dirty laundry. Men in power do things. It's goes through their head and they do things like this. So Donald Trump, to me, is a great businessman. He got people motivated and the military was strong. There was patriotism in the country. Unemployment was low. We had a good presence in the world. Everything was pro-America. He just felt good. And the military was so strong. Economy, inflation and the border. He really, really, really took the border seriously. We are in a crisis, especially living here in Texas with the border. So yes, I think Donald Trump is electable.

Will Loconto:

I agree on the policy stuff. I'm somebody, and I've talked to a lot of other people that were Trump voters that are tired of the name calling, tired of the childishness and tired of the stuff that they don't want. Four more years of the entire apparatus of the United States targeting the president, attacking the President. So

Cindy Bass:

You're saying that people are telling you, or you might think that it would be better to have Biden in there?

Will Loconto:

No, did I say

Cindy Bass:

That? No, but I mean, are you saying that we're okay now?

Will Loconto:

No, I'm say no. What I'm saying is that if Trump and Biden are the two choices, we're fucked.

Cindy Bass:

What? Okay.

Will Loconto:

The country's elect.

Cindy Bass:

But you would vote for Trump?

Will Loconto:

Oh, I would. Yes. But I'm, I'm going to work to make sure that he's not the nominee of the Republican party, though. I'm going to be supporting somebody

Cindy Bass:

Else. Okay. And who is that?

Will Loconto:

Probably Ron DeSantis. But it's still too early.

Cindy Bass:

Right?

Will Loconto:

Right. Now, that's one of the dumbest things that I hear from Trump supporters is the idea that he's the inevitable nominee. That he's basically already won it. So nobody else really should be challenging him. They should all be lining up to support him. And really what the country needs is more people debating, more people talking about solutions to the problems that we have because we have real problems. And it's not just Republican versus Democrat problems. The country is in a really bad place.

Cindy Bass:

What do you think about Vivek?

Will Loconto:

He's somebody that needs to a hundred percent be on the debate stages. He needs to be listened to. He needs to be heard. He needs to be part of the discussions. He's smart and yeah. Oh, he's very smart.

Cindy Bass:

And I He's very energetic. Yeah.

Will Loconto:

He's somebody that's interesting. Nikki Haley's not interesting. Mike Pence is not interesting. Pompeo's not interesting. Most of these people that you see really don't even have any sort of shot.

Cindy Bass:

Mediocre.

Will Loconto:

Yeah, they're mediocre. And no, not a real shot of being a nominee.

Cindy Bass:

I truly believe it's Trump or DeSantis. That's my gut.

Will Loconto:

I think so too. And to be honest, Trump appears to be afraid of DeSantis because even before DeSantis really has announced and gotten going on his campaign, the attacks started. But

Cindy Bass:

That's strategy.

Will Loconto:

Well, it is, but it looks like a weak strategy and looks, he

Cindy Bass:

Looks it definitely. I wouldn't do it either. I don't think it looks

Will Loconto:

Good. It diminishes the party. But I know, but that, see that, and that's one of the other problems that I have with Trump, is that I know in my gut, in my heart that to Donald Trump, Donald Trump and his ego are more important than America. You will never convince me otherwise. And the problem is that that ego is what he would rather when he's talking about not participating in debates, when he's talking about not pledging to support the eventual nominee that is destabilizing. Has he said that? Yes. That's destabilizing bullshit. That is shows me that Donald Trump is more about his ego. He would rather

Cindy Bass:

He say that on video

Will Loconto:

Or, yes. Yeah. No, he says it. He said it. I know you keep ask me that stuff all the time of, oh, did somebody really say that? And I say, yeah, people really say these

Cindy Bass:

Things. Well, you

Will Loconto:

Never know. Well, yeah, with this stuff you do, Donald Trump's ego is too big. Donald Trump.

Cindy Bass:

Are you saying that Biden and Obama and Clinton and Reagan, all that. Now,

Will Loconto:

They would not burn the country down just as Trump would rather the whole thing blow up.

Cindy Bass:

Every president has an ego.

Will Loconto:

Of course they do.

Cindy Bass:

You have to have a little ego.

Will Loconto:

Of course they do. But to be

Cindy Bass:

Leader of a

Will Loconto:

You are, you tell you really telling me that Trump's ego is not,

Cindy Bass:

Oh, he has a huge ego.

Will Loconto:

You don't think it and don't think it's destructive.

Cindy Bass:

If you ask me the question of if I would like to be back where we were when he was playing,

Will Loconto:

That's not the question that I'm asking you though. Okay. What I'm asking you is, is it okay that Trump says he's not going to participate in any debates? No. And is it okay that he's going to not pledge to support the nominee?

Cindy Bass:

No,

Will Loconto:

Because both of those, to me are unacceptable.

Cindy Bass:

That is unacceptable. And

Will Loconto:

He, at any, no matter what, if Trump refuses to say he will support the nominee no matter what,

Cindy Bass:

I'd like to see everyone on both sides say that. Yeah, you would. And participate in debate. Yes.

Will Loconto:

Even on and on the Democrats side, there should be debates too. It's a disservice to the United States to disservice to the voters.

Cindy Bass:

It should be required

Will Loconto:

And it's required. Right. And if you don't, in a way to where you don't get on the ballot, if you don't participate in the debates.

Cindy Bass:

Well, but the thing is, with Donald Trump, to me, he can debate. He really can. If he can just keep, I think everybody would really be happy if he would just stop the little chi I call. I'm going to say childish.

Will Loconto:

He sounds like a butt hurt child is what he sounds like it

Cindy Bass:

Is. It's just something I overlook because I,

Will Loconto:

Well, I overlooked it when voting F with all the times I voted him. I've overlooked it because it was, at first it was amusing. Yeah. Because it's funny to see him, I mean, he is funny. He's very funny. He is funny, and he's very on point and not afraid to say the things that he needs to say.

Cindy Bass:

I see him firing up crowds, and the military guys love him. The elderly adore him.

Will Loconto:

Yeah,

Cindy Bass:

I agree. I adore him.

Will Loconto:

I agree.

Cindy Bass:

And they think that he is Elvis Presley. Yeah. I mean,

Will Loconto:

He's just, no. Well, right. I agree with that. And I also think that he will not have enough votes to win

Cindy Bass:

If he was against Biden. You think Biden would win?

Will Loconto:

I think that it would end up being really close and probably a lot closer than it needs to be. The dead body from weekend at Bernie's would be able to beat Biden because the disaster that has been Biden got elected because he wasn't Trump. That's the only reason he got elected. From my own personal experience, I know plenty of people that voted for Trump that would prefer that he not be the nominee this time. And these are people that are good, conservative, regular people that loved what he did.

Cindy Bass:

There's just as many that want the opposite, that want him and know he can get elected.

Will Loconto:

But that splits the whole thing. It does. And when you start talking about the only Trump, it's the only big,

Cindy Bass:

The message has to get out there. Just like you said in the very beginning, you're not wanting to vote for him, but if he becomes the nominee, you will.

Will Loconto:

Yo, he's better than anybody. That's right. Anyone possible on the other side? That

Cindy Bass:

Has to be for all people have got to realize that.

Will Loconto:

But all of these people, right? If Trump is the guy, you're supporting the primary, and Trump is not the nominee. You have to still be committed to go vote for the nominee. Right. And if you don't care about the country, the

Cindy Bass:

Elderly people that worship the ground, Trump walks on. If he's not the nominee, they must vote and they must vote for the Republican. That is my I. That's my worry is

Will Loconto:

That Well, and if they don't vote for the eventual nominee because it's not Trump, then they don't really care about the country.

Cindy Bass:

They do not care about the country.

Will Loconto:

That's a statement of fact,

Cindy Bass:

And I actually know some people that are like this, and I just intend to be very vocal that I'm telling you that I'll vote for the nominee or well, I'll

Will Loconto:

Republican party. Yeah, right. No, I'll come out and say, just to have a good quote here. If you are a Trump supporter, that is going to sit out. If DeSantis or Nikki Haley or anyone else is the nominee, you don't care about the country,

Cindy Bass:

And you are a dumbass. Well,

Will Loconto:

You are a dumbass. Yeah, that's That's true. Yes. But you unequivocally don't care about the country. If you're buying into the idea that Trump is uniquely qualified, some sort of chosen one that is the only person that can meet the moment right now, you are absolutely wrong and you're making a mistake, and you are setting yourself up to damage the country.

Cindy Bass:

When he was indicted though, Republicans rallied around him. His campaign money came in, and so that shows the Republicans are rallying around him, right?

Will Loconto:

Well, they're rallying around him, but not to the point where he wants everyone to endorse him now. I mean, it's like the idea that he thinks that DeSantis owes him an endorsement. I think there's an argument to be made that DeSantis is delivering more than Trump ever was able to with what they're doing in Florida. He's conservative, pro-family passing laws to protect children. One of the things that I really like about DeSantis is that he goes on offense. It's not just a defense where we are having to somehow justify our belief system. He's going after the things that are damaging the country and going on offense to attack them, not coming back another time to say, we're going to drain the swamp.

Cindy Bass:

He's an attorney. He was a judge. Advocate, general military. Military. He's got a family. He's younger, and I like

Will Loconto:

The youth part. Well, that's the, that's, yeah. Actually, that's a point where that we never bring up. But the idea that we need to quit electing 80 year old men.

Cindy Bass:

Just think if Biden was elected again, how old he'd be at the end of his second presidency? Well, I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure he'd be in a nursing home. Well,

Will Loconto:

When Ronald Reagan was, when they were making comments about his age and how he was too old, he was nowhere near as old as these guys are now,

Cindy Bass:

I love the way Reagan talked. When you say, when we talk about him, I remember all those speeches I just loved. And if we could have a Reagan again,

Will Loconto:

Well, that's the thing, is what I would say my takeaway from discussing the presidential race for 2024, what I would like to see is more optimism, more issue oriented discussion. We need to talk about solutions and not just wiping out wokeness or draining the swamp. We don't need some slogan. What we need is real legislation, real action, real things that affect real people. That's where America needs to be repaired.

Cindy Bass:

We just need people in there that want to get it done. You can talk all day long about all this stuff, but get in there and do what's best for the country. This country has a moral standard. We need to be pro-America strategically handling our energy and the oil taking care of our homeless and our military.

Will Loconto:

Well, the crazy part is that that should all be common sense.

Cindy Bass:

It's common sense. It's a little crazy right now in this country. Well,

Will Loconto:

And the problem is that pushing of narratives, we really just need to be setting the country on a positive path, right.

Cindy Bass:

Teaching children to love the country, respect the country, respect your elders, respect your neighbors, be a good neighbor, and to vote, everyone should vote. That is legally here to vote. That's of age to vote. It's like y it's, it's an honor to be able to vote and everyone should do it. A privilege. Yeah, it's a privilege. But I will disagree with you on this, is that I believe he's electable and

Will Loconto:

Well, if he's a nominee, I hope he's electable because, no, I really do.

Cindy Bass:

I know.

Will Loconto: There's no way Biden serves another term.

Cindy Bass:

No.

Will Loconto:

So if he runs and wins, I'm interested to see how that all plays out too, because he's kind of blocking Gavin Newsom right now. And the question that I have is the plan for him to run, and if he wins, then to step down, so then Kamala Harris becomes the president, because that's the only way she would ever, in any reality, even come close to becoming the president. She couldn't win an election if her life depended on it. I'm just interested to see how this plays out,

Cindy Bass:

What my opinion is. I think they're saying Biden's running and they're just going to see this out to see how he does for a length of time. And

Will Loconto:

Then make the switch. Yes. Because the press will make the switch to Gavin Newsom in an instant as soon as they get told to by the D N C. I think

Cindy Bass:

That they're doing this to show that Biden still has strength and power.

Will Loconto:

Oh, because you think that if he had come out and said, I'm not going to run. Yes, they would've. Then all of a sudden everybody, he'd be the lame duck president that nobody Yeah,

Cindy Bass:

Exactly what it is. Yeah. That's my opinion. Yeah. And I think Gavin Newsom will be their nominee. Just what I think. Well,

Will Loconto:

We had that conversation earlier that remember I said, watch what Susan Rice does next, because if she moves to another politician's campaign or organization or anything like that, you'll know where the Obamas are going.

Cindy Bass:

The Obamas are still in the White House.

Will Loconto:

Well, no, I believe that they're still in influential in a lot of this stuff, and Oh, yes. Biden is not the one running the country. No.

Cindy Bass:

Isn't that sad?

Will Loconto:

It's very sad. But this campaign needs to be vigorous optimistic, issue oriented. Get rid of the name calling. Stop making up stupid names for each other. Don't act like a little kid,

Cindy Bass:

Because that is teaching children.

Will Loconto:

We're not on a playground. It's not a joke. This shit's serious. And the message for anybody is if you're sitting out of the general election by not voting because your candidate did not get chosen as the nominee, it's irresponsible and it's showing that you don't give a shit about the country. That's right. Period.

Cindy Bass:

That's right.

Will Loconto:

Well, that's it for us, and we'll see you next month.

Cindy Bass:

See ya.