Former President Donald Trump remains the clear favorite to defeat President Joe Biden or anyone else the Democrats substitute for him, including former first lady Michelle Obama, former Rep. Pete King insisted on Newsmax on Sunday.
"I think once, for some reason, [Obama] got the nomination that her numbers would start to come down pretty soon," the New York Republican, appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend" with former Georgia GOP Rep. Jack Kingston, commented. "Right now, she's this attractive known and unknown who's out there."
Last week, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that Obama would be the only alternative to Biden who could defeat Trump in a general election.
But King said that the Democrats are in "such a state of disarray" over Biden and questions about his age and capabilities, so "everything is going Donald Trump's way."
King said he does believe that Biden will drop out of the race, as "he's going to have to," which will mean "real turmoil within the Democratic Party because there is no logical heir apparent."
If Vice President Kamala Harris is not the nominee, "her people are going to be upset," and if California Gov. Gavin Newsom is not nominated, "you're going to see more of a feud," said King.
That leaves it up to Trump to keep Republicans organized "and make it clear we are the party for the American people and not worry about the opposition," said King.
Meanwhile, Kingston said he does not believe Biden helped his case with his ABC News prime-time interview.
"It was too conscripted," he said. "He's on such thin ice now that any single little gaffe is going to make a tremendous difference, and he's going to make these gaffes right and left…everybody knows [George] Stephanopoulos is a Democrat fixer. He's a troubleshooter, and he tried his best, but it did not do the trick."
Further, Biden's base is eroding said Kingston, adding that he believes Harris will replace him on the ticket or potentially become president if Biden resigns.
King also discussed the Supreme Court's ruling on immunity for presidents last week and said he thinks the measure may not be a death blow for the Jan. 6 case against Trump, but it would be a "very serious blow" because of the intermingling of official versus nonofficial acts on his part.
Special counsel Jack, Smith, he added, tried to ram the case through, but now there are "so many holes in it" that it won't likely go through.
"If it does go forward, ultimately Donald Trump, no matter what happens in the trial level, will win this on appeal," said King. "If this is put off until after the election and he is elected, that ends it altogether."
However, King said he does think Trump will get some sort of sentence in his New York business records case, as the judge there is "taking his cue from the Democratic leadership."
House arrest or limited jail time for Trump could backfire, though, based on the reaction to Trump's convictions, he added.
"So far on these criminal indictments, his numbers go up all the time," said King. "I've never seen anyone being able to turn adversity to his strength more than President Trump."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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