Former Trump Chief of Staff Thinks DeSantis Would Win a Republican Primary: ‘I’m Ready for a Generational Change’

Mick Mulvaney, the acting chief of staff for former President Donald Trump, told CNBC Monday that he wants to see “generational change” in the Republican Party leadership, and said his old boss is “the one Republican who can lose” the White House in 2024.

Mulvaney, who served as acting chief of staff from January 2019 to March 2020 and signed on as a CBS analyst in April, said he would not support Trump’s campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination, and that he thinks Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could beat him on the ballot.

“In a Republican primary? No,” Mulvaney replied when asked if he’d support Trump. “I’m ready for a generational change in my party. Ron DeSantis would make a great president, Tim Scott would make a great president, Nikki Haley would make a great president, Mike Pompeo, Mike Pence, go down the list, they are all in my generation.”

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If Trump does get the nomination, Mulvaney demurred about supporting him in the general election, Mediaite reported.

“I think he is the only Republican who could lose, Joe,” Mulvaney told “Squwak Box” host Joe Kernan.

Mulvaney’s time at the White House coincided with Trump’s effort to withhold military aid to Ukraine in return for political dirt on Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election, leading to his first impeachment.

Trump was rumored to be ready to announce his bid for 2024 during an Election Eve rally in Ohio on Monday night, but the former president instead told the crowd gathered at the Dayton Airport to be ready for a “very big announcement” on Nov. 15.

“We want nothing to detract from the importance of tomorrow, you understand,” Trump told the cheering crowd.

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The date of his expected campaign launch has been the subject of widespread speculation in recent weeks.

“Do I think he’s going to run? Probably,” Mulvaney said on CNBC. “Do I think he’s going to win a Republican primary? Probably.”

“There are a few people who could beat him,” he added, but then pointed to the Florida governor, who is widely expected to win re-election Tuesday ahead of a presidential bid. “DeSantis could beat him,” Mulvaney said.

“If Trump runs and wins and he’s in the general against Biden, it won’t make a difference it is Biden, it’s Trump versus Trump; it will be a referendum on Donald Trump,” Mulvaney said.

“One of the few people to beat Donald Trump is Donald Trump,” the ex-pol continued. “That’s what happened in 2020. Everybody voted for or against Trump. If Trump is on the ticket, it is about him.”

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