Republican officials are raising doubts about a President Donald Trump 2020 run for re-election.
Trump has been a fundraising powerhouse of late, but Sen. Rand Paul said on Sunday night that just because the president is raising millions, doesn’t mean he’s running in 2020.
“I think no one can stop primaries from happening and there could well be a primary,” the Kentucky senator said on MSNBC, when asked if a 2020 primary would be good for the Republican Party.
“Before you even get to that you need to know: is President Trump running for reelection? I think you won’t know that until you get into sort of second, third year of his presidency,” Paul continued.
WATCH: @RandPaul’s pregnant pause when asked about a 2020 Republican presidential primary pic.twitter.com/tLNWk3fWBh
— Kasie DC (@KasieDC) October 29, 2017
Days earlier New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gave Matt Lauer of the Today show a similarly mysterious answer about a Trump 2020 run.
“If he runs again I would support him, yes, but I’m not so sure what will happen,” Christie said.
“Four years is a long time, and especially for someone who has not spent a lifetime in politics, so I think those years affect him differently. So I’m sure the president will make whatever decision is best for him and his family and the country,” Christie continued.
Both Christie’s and Paul’s comments came after special counsel Robert Mueller announced his first indictments in his investigation into collusion with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business partner Rick Gates were named in an indictment that included a long list of charges including money laundering and conspiracy. Both men pleaded not guilty on Monday and were placed under house arrest.
If Trump considers the Russia investigation too big a mar on his presidency to overcome and win reelection, he would be the fourth president ever to step away from the White House after just one term.
Other presidents who served just one term include James Polk, Calvin Coolidge and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who challenged Trump last year, is already mounting a primary campaign against Trump. Vice President Mike Pence and Sens. Tom Cotton and Ben Sasse are also rumored to be running shadow primary campaigns, according to The New York Times.
