House Democrat predicts Trump will win 2024 election
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Rep. Jared Golden arrives at the Capitol on June 15, 2023. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) on Tuesday predicted former President Trump will win the 2024 election in November and said he is "OK with that."
Why it matters: Golden's prediction adds to a growing deluge of congressional Democrats opening up about their lack of confidence in President Biden to carry the Democratic ticket to victory.
Driving the news: Golden, a co-chair of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, wrote in a Bangor Daily News op-ed that Biden's poor performance in last week's debate against Trump was "not a surprise" to him.
- "It also didn't rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I don't plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I'm OK with that," he continued.
- Golden argued that his colleagues' "hand-wringing" after the debate is out of a belief that Trump is a "unique threat to our democracy," but, "I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system."
- "We should reflect on the history and strength of our great democracy, safe in the knowledge that no one man is strong enough to take it away from us," he said.
Between the lines: Golden, who has for six years represented one of the most Republican-leaning districts of any House Democrat, has long been a renegade voice within his party.
- Golden noted in his op-ed that he was one of a handful of centrists who resisted Democrats' marquee Build Back Better legislation in the last congressional session.
- "In 2025, I believe Trump is going to be in the White House. Maine's representatives will need to work with him when it benefits Mainers, hold him accountable when it does not and work independently across the aisle no matter what," he wrote.
Between the lines: Golden's comments come as many Democrats in difficult races are straining to distance themselves from Biden.
- National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Jack Pandol responded to the op-ed by posting a photo of Golden and Biden flying together on Air Force One.
- "Donald Trump is going to win but Jared Golden is not. Backpedaling and freaked out political posturing is not going to change that," he said.
Go deeper: "Freaking the f*** out": Turmoil in the White House over Biden
