MSNBC host Jen Psaki warned Democrats on Sunday that Donald Trump and his "evil charisma" was a force to be reckoned with for 2024.
The former president is currently one of — if not the strongest — Republican contender on the field for 2024. One advantage that Trump has, Psaki said, was name recognition.
"Everybody in the country knows Donald Trump. They have a view," President Biden's former press secretary told MSNBC's Alex Witt.
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Psaki, who also told Democrats not to "celebrate" or "brag" about Trump’s recent indictment, referenced the former president’s slew of current legal troubles. But Psaki claimed that despite it all, Trump has an "evil charisma about him."
"So I think Democrats and anyone who doesn’t like Donald Trump would be wrong to underestimate him," she added, calling it her "warning" for the country.
Psaki also spoke about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely speculated to make a bid for president in 2024 after winning a landslide re-election in November. Recent polling has shown Trump widening his lead among GOP primary voters, however.
"On paper, Governor DeSantis seems like he would be a harder candidate. He is younger, he won in Florida," Psaki said, "but he has not really shown that he has an exact strategy in the primary."
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"So at this point, it is really hard to calculate, but I would not underestimate Donald Trump," Psaki concluded.
Biden officially announced his campaign for reelection on Tuesday, drawing a sharp rebuke from Trump that his administration was a "failure" and jokes from late-night show hosts about the president’s age. Jimmy Kimmel called Biden "Grandpa Joe" and said that most people his age would be proud to win the "battle against constipation" just hours declared he would run for a second term.
Comedian and NBC "Late Night" host Seth Meyers also made fun of Biden's announcement, comparing the 80-year-old president to "two-day-old egg salad."
Biden, the oldest president to serve in American history, will be 82 by the 2024 election and 86 at the end of his second term if he is re-elected.
Psaki also responded to Biden’s announcement video, predicting that the Democrats would likely make "freedom," partially defined by the freedom to have an abortion, central to their campaign in 2024.
