Aug.14

electoral-vote.com

Dem 51

   

GOP 49

Republican Presidential Candidates Now Admit It: Trump Lost

It took them almost 3 years, but now pretty much all of the 2024 Republican presidential candidates grudgingly admit that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. It took a while, but with Ron DeSantis' admission last week, we're finally there.

Of course, that doesn't mean they have stopped defending him. Far from it, for most of them. Only now their story is that he actually believed he won, so he wasn't lying. That also explains why he keeps saying he won, even now. Here are some recent quotes:

• Ron DeSantis: "Of course he lost."
• Tim Scott: "I do not believe the election was stolen."
• Nikki Haley: "Do I think Joe Biden is the legitimate president? Yes."
• Chris Christie: "Of course he lost, and I believe he lost because he lost in a full and fair election."
• Vivek Ramaswamy: "I was very clear about the fact that Trump lost the election."
• Asa Hutchinson: "I don't believe the election was stolen, and I respect the results."

At least the first five of the above will be on stage Aug. 23 for the debate. If the moderator says: "Raise your hand if you think Trump won in 2020" and no hands go up, the audience reaction should be interesting. If Trump shows up, his reaction will be even more interesting. Even if he doesn't show up, reporters will ask him about the debate later on. Of course, moderator Sean Hannity, who is in the bag for Trump, may stick to safer questions, like "What aspect of Donald Trump do you like the most?" (V)