Much of the internet reacted in horror when former President Donald Trump confirmed he plans to run in 2024, but Alyssa Farah Griffin has found a silver lining in the announcement. Friday morning on The View, the guest co-host said that Trump's escalating reelection efforts indicate "the January 6 committee hearings are getting to him," as he suddenly seems eager to reclaim control of the narrative after months of laying low.
This morning, the panel — which consisted of regulars Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin and guest co-hosts Griffin (an ex-Trump aide), Ana Navarro, and Dan Abrams — discussed Trump's recent claim that he's "already made that decision" to run for president in 2024, and is only debating when to announce his candidacy. "How will he fit into the GOP playing field now?" asked Whoopi, as she opened the conversation up to the table.
"I've been hearing this for weeks. I actually heard he was going to announce as soon as August. They were looking at Michigan as a potential location," said Griffin. "I sort of predict he's going to announce in Florida to rile [Gov. Ron] DeSantis."
"Here's what I would say. I think this means the January 6 committee hearings are getting to him," she continued. "He feels boxed in. He's seeing himself getting savaged for his terrible behavior, his unlawful behavior, and now he wants to try to flip the story."
Griffin added that Trump's campaign "is kind of a spoiler for Republicans in swing districts" in the midterms, as they'll now be forced to "run on Trump" rather than their own platforms.
TRUMP TO ANNOUNCE 2024 RUN BEFORE MIDTERMS? In a recent 'New York Magazine' interview, former Pres. Trump teased that he's already made his decision about making another run for the White House in 2024 — the panel questions how he'd fit into the GOP playing field. pic.twitter.com/lsfq9nBX93
— The View (@TheView) July 15, 2022
"That's the question, right? Is he going to do this for the party, or does he do it for himself?" said Abrams, implying that with Trump, the answer is always clear. "If he goes now, he's got the advantage of boxing out some of the candidates who he can shame."
"Up to this point, DeSantis has been able to say, 'I'm not running against Trump,'" said Abrams. "But the minute Trump announces, they have to admit 'I'm running against Trump.'"
After some more back and forth, Griffin brought the discussion around to President Joe Biden. "Joe Biden's tanking in the polls. His approvals are down very low. But the one candidate he does better against, and he beats, is Donald Trump," she said, citing a recent New York Times/Siena College poll.
"Other Republicans who run, if they decide to run for office, they can say onstage, 'You are the only person on this stage who lost to Joe Biden,'" Griffin continued. "And that is going to set my former boss off."
Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.
TOPICS: Alyssa Farah Griffin, ABC, The View, Dan Abrams, Donald Trump, politics