‘What Have You Got To Lose?!’ CNN’s Gloria Borger Baffled By Republican Candidates Not Attacking Trump

CNN Senior Political Analyst Gloria Borger expressed exasperation at 2024 Republican presidential candidates not named Donald Trump over their refusals to criticize the former president.

Trump has led the GOP field for months in poll after poll. Other than former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, the candidates have avoided going after Trump, lest they anger a large chunk of the Republican base. This dynamic has raised the question as to whether some of the candidates in the race are truly challenging the frontrunner, or are simply hoping for a position in a second Trump administration.

Even after Trump has been indicted three times – including again this week – his opponents have been either largely silent or even critical of the prosecutions.

“I still am just confused at why everybody is scared to death to call this what it is,” former Rep. Adam Kinzinger said on CNN’s AC360 on Wednesday. “[T]hese candidates running for president, I think they’re still hoping just like in 2016 that somehow this magic pony is gonna come out of the sky and Donald Trump is gonna be taken out of this race. And since they showed enough fealty to Donald Trump, maybe now they can scrape up some of his voters and win. It’s not gonna happen. And only Chris Christie and a couple others have had the courage to do anything. It just blows me away.”

Host Anderson Cooper turned to Borger and asked her to weigh in.

“I totally agree. I don’t know what DeSantis is waiting for here,” she replied, referring to Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running second behind Trump by dozens of points. “Look, this is a former president who has a 54% popularity in the Republican Party. He’s beating DeSantis by a boatload. What have you got to lose at this point?! You have to take on, you know, Donald Trump.”

Watch above via CNN.

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