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Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya said she would prefer Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to win the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidency instead of Donald Trump.
Tafoya—now the campaign co-chair of GOP Governor for Minnesota hopeful Kendall Qualls—said during an appearance on Tomi Lahren Is Fearless on OutKick that Trump is too "divisive" and that DeSantis would be a better candidate for the White House as he does not have the "extra baggage" that the former president does.
Tafoya told Lahren that some of her relatives who previously voted for Trump have said they don't believe "it's good for the country" for the former president to run again in 2024.
"Not because of his policies, but because of what a lightning rod he is and he is a divisive character," Tafoya said.
"No matter how much good he may do from the White House, in terms of moving the country forward he is a polarizing character," Tafoya said.
"I would prefer to see someone like Ron DeSantis run," she added. "He has a terrific track record. And I think it comes without that extra baggage. I guess I'm gonna welcome all Trump lovers bashing me now, but that's just an honest assessment of the picture."
Tafoya, who has previously teased running for office in Minnesota after leaving NBC, is the latest conservative voice to turn their back on Trump in the wake of a string of controversies and legal issues facing the former president.
On Tuesday, the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post, which Trump has described as his "favorite newspaper," published an editorial urging the Republican Party to move on from the former president, describing how his "egomania has only grown" since he lost the 2020 Election.
In June, the New York Post also published two separate pieces urging the GOP to move on from Trump, including one from former CNN host Piers Morgan saying DeSantis should now lead the party.
More recently, conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro suggested in a series of tweets the GOP needs to stop making Trump and the controversies that surround him—such as the recent FBI search of his home for classified documents—the "centerpiece of the conversation" if they want to win the upcoming midterms.
"Two things can be true at once: first, the FBI raid on Trump looks like a political hit; second, the more Republicans talk about Trump, the worse they do electorally," Shapiro tweeted on August 29. "There is a reason Democrats are eager to keep Trump at the center of the conversation: half of independents say Trump is a major factor in their vote, and they're breaking 4-1 for the Democrats. Republicans shouldn't play that game. If they do, they're cruising for a bruising."
In her interview with Tafoya, Lahren also said that while she still wishes "Trump was our president right now," she believes that DeSantis has the "best shot at the White House."
Lahren added that it would be "absolutely ideal" if DeSantis ends up running against Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom in the 2024 presidential election.
In the wake of the House Select Committee's damming presentations on the events which led up to January 6, a number of key Republican donors were reported to be moving away from Trump and backing DeSantis as the person who should lead the GOP.
While neither Trump nor DeSantis have announced their 2024 presidential intentions, Trump is still the overwhelming favorite to clinch the nomination should he decide to run.
According to a recent McLaughlin poll, 55 percent of Republican voters said they would back Trump for the GOP nomination if the primaries were held today. DeSantis was the second choice candidate, 40 points behind Trump with 15 percent support.
Newsweek has reached out to DeSantis for comment.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more