Conservative radio host Larry Elder, who has previously been a strong supporter of former President Trump, railed against the former president's ability to attract swing voters going into the 2024 presidential election.
Elder, who announced his own GOP bid for the 2024 presidential election last month, said in an interview on Fox News on Friday that he supports what Trump did as president and so do other Republicans, but they are “rightfully” concerned that he cannot win over swing voters, especially suburban women.
“They’re very concerned, and I think rightfully so, that a sufficient number of swing voters, especially suburban women, would not vote for the man if he walked on water,” Elder told "Fox News Tonight" guest host Trey Gowdy. “In fact, if he did... they’d say he cannot swim.”
Elder also mentioned his experience losing friends because of his support of Trump and hinted that others have too.
“If you’ve lost friends because of Donald Trump — and I’ve lost three friends I’ve known for almost 40 years, two of whom I practiced law with — if you no longer can talk to coworkers at work because of Donald Trump, if you have strained relations with your family members because of Donald Trump, I submit to you, Trey: Houston we’ve got a problem,” he told Gowdy, who is a former GOP congressman from South Carolina.
He added that Trump did not “invent” the idea of tax cuts or building a border wall on the U.S. southern border, but he likes Trump’s policies.
"He has been very very successful in implementing Republican policies, and I’m from the Republican wing of the Republican Party, and if you fear that we may get another reenact between Trump and [President] Biden and fear that Biden may beat him again, you need a vehicle to push those policies, and I’m that vehicle,” he said.
The radio host previously said while he was considering a bid for the presidency that if he were to run, he would not feel that he is running against Trump or any Republican but against Biden.
Elder, who ran unsuccessfully in the 2021 attempted recall election against California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), also asked viewers to give donations to his campaign to ensure that he can qualify to participate in the GOP primary debates later this year.
“Once I do, it’s game on, hold my beer,” he said.
