The head of the primary super PAC supporting former President Trump said the potential replacement of President Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee would be “impossible” to carry out and essentially spell defeat for the party in November.
Make America Great Again Inc. CEO Taylor Budowich, in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal on Monday, argued a last-minute effort to coalesce around a single Democratic candidate to replace Biden will lead to an “epic political brawl” and billions of dollars funneled to several “futile campaigns.”
“There’s no easy answer here. It’s actually excruciatingly difficult, and without the benefit of time, it’s flat out impractical,” Budowich wrote. “Especially when you cap it all off with the stark reality that the Democratic Party’s entire nominating process and convention rules are controlled by progressive delegates, who have little understanding of the real diversity of our country or what it takes to win a national election.”
“At the end of the day, for Democrats, the only thing worse than going into Election Day with Joe Biden on the ticket is having Joe Biden leave the ticket and watching helplessly as their party is consumed by the cannibalistic chaos that would surely ensue,” he added later.
Biden’s poor debate performance against former President Trump last week sparked concern among some in his own party over his ability to carry out another four-year term. The president’s voice was raspy for a good portion of the 90-minute debate, while his delivery frequently halted and at times, he appeared to lose his train of thought and had difficulty stringing together his ideas.
Biden has already won the primaries, winning a majority of delegates, and thus he cannot be simply overthrown at the Democratic National Convention in August. The decision is ultimately up to him, and the Biden campaign said last week he is not going anywhere.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules require delegates that Biden won to pledge their support for his nomination unless Biden willingly decides to stand down. Before the convention opens on Aug. 19, the DNC could change the rules to block Biden, but that is highly unlikely given current party dynamics.
Budowich noted Biden’s campaign has millions of dollars in campaign funding that cannot be transferred to a replacement candidate, who would have to start from scratch just months ahead of the general election.
He predicted the DNC would attempt to “stretch every rule” to push forward a new candidate, who would still need to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the campaign.
In the wake of potential chaos, Budowich argued Republicans should remain focused following Trump’s “most disciplined, clever and devastatingly precise debate performance yet.”
“So, regardless of the Democrats’ choice in a lose-lose proposition, it’s Mr. Trump’s message of prosperity and American greatness that will ultimately be decisive in November,” Budowich said.
Names of potential replacements have included Vice President Harris, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The Hill reached out to the DNC for comment.