Are These Two Politicians Donald Trump's Biggest Competition?

Everyone is on tenterhooks waiting for Donald Trump to confirm whether he's going to run for president again in 2024 though, at this stage, it's a safe enough bet he likely is. In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump teased that he was "probably" going to hold off until after the upcoming midterm elections before making any formal announcements. "I am certainly thinking about it and we'll see," he said. "I think a lot of people will be very happy, frankly, with the decision, and probably will announce that after the midterms."

Trump clarified this "appropriate" timeline wasn't to be interpreted as confirmation of his plans, even though lots of people are waiting on it. As for who else might run for president in the unlikely event he opts not to, Trump reasoned, "A lot of great people who are thinking about running are waiting for that decision, because they're not going to run if I run." Acknowledging there are plenty of terrific potential candidates, the former reality star nonetheless reiterated none of them will even consider running if he chooses to. 

However, Trump might be being characteristically over-confident in his estimation, since two potential candidates are already gaining serious traction. 

As the Daily Beast notes, it's highly possible Donald Trump will run for president again in 2024, and the famously bullish celebrity is probably safe in the knowledge he'll get the Republican nomination without issue. However, Liz Cheney and Chris Christie are quickly gaining traction in their own right and they shouldn't be counted out. Cheney recently delivered a rousing speech in New Hampshire, which CNN reasoned was part of her "testing the waters" for a run. Former RNC committeeman Tom Rath confirmed she could easily win, too. Christie, on the other hand, made headlines after publicly encouraging Republicans to move on from the 2020 election, which many of them still believe was stolen from Trump, and to look ahead instead.

Christie also shot back a clever retort after the former president criticized his display, pointing out only one of them has a record of losing re-election and it isn't Christie. The potential candidates are more formidable opponents than those Trump steamrolled over back in 2016. They're gifted public speakers, tough negotiators, likable personalities, and, in Christie's case, he has the strong constitution to go up against a bully like Trump. Both Cheney and Christie have also taken a public stand against Trump, so clearly they're not afraid of him either. If Trump ran now, he'd likely get nominated. But, if the coming two years continue on this trajectory, the former commander-in-chief could have a real fight on his hands.