LARRY KUDLOW: GOP candidates can’t beat Trump in the primary election

After a weekend of high-powered political news, events and interviews, the question is: can anyone beat former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination?  

At this point, the clear answer is no.  I know polls aren’t votes and no votes have been cast yet, but Mr. Trump has mounted what seems to be an insurmountable lead and judging from his stirring performance at the Turning Point Action conference, as well as recent strong interviews, his candidacy is growing stronger.   

The latest Morning Consult poll of GOP voters shows 56% for Trump, 17% for Ron DeSantis, 8% for Vivek Ramaswamy and 7% for Mike Pence. At Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point Action conference — a rapidly growing young conservative grassroots group – Mr. Trump scored 86% in the straw poll. Ron DeSantis scored 4%.  Here’s a quote from Mr. Trump’s Saturday speech. Take a listen:    

DONALD TRUMP: “Homeownership has been pushed out of reach for millions with the rate of 30-year mortgages up 177% since I left office and, by the way, that’s nothing compared to energy — where we were energy independent and now you look at what’s happened to energy. We’re getting our energy from Venezuela. You believe that one? Real wages collapsed 26 months in a row, real wages because of inflation and various other things that are happening. Typical Americans have seen their incomes crushed by $7,400 a year since Biden took office.”  

ELECTRIC TRUCK COMPANY TOUTED BY TRUMP AS ‘AN INCREDIBLE CONCEPT’ FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY 

Mr. Trump has consistently run an issues-oriented campaign, much like 2016. He is the only candidate highlighting a clear agenda of economic growth and prosperity. You could hear the level of detail just in that sound. He seems to intuitively understand that the failure of something called “Bidenomics” is going to make this presidential cycle a pocketbook, kitchen-table election.   

He routinely talks about low taxes, deregulation, ending inflation and a return to energy dominance.  He repeatedly talks about public safety, border control and no wars.  On Ukraine, the Republican Party is increasingly swinging toward Mr. Trump’s view that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is far better than a protracted and costly conflict.   

Trump was the original anti-woke president – fighting the culture wars, backing school choice, supporting parents, fighting the scourge of fentanyl and cleaning out the Washington swamp.  It was Trump who rang the bell warning of the China threat. It was Trump who insisted on reciprocal trade deals that would benefit the American workforce.  

He has issued tens of policy whitepapers and videos. Millions and millions of people have seen these. I have no animus toward the other Republican candidates, most of whom have good conservative instincts. 

Trump himself over the weekend told my colleague Maria Bartiromo that there may be a potential veep and cabinet members among them, but Trump has spent his time attacking Biden and Biden’s incredibly poor performance that has led America into a temporary decline.   

For conservatives and Republicans, defeating Biden has to be the key point. In the volatile world of primary politics, it’s never too late for aspiring candidates to put together a better message or a stronger campaign. I get that, but as Newt Gingrich has put it, it’s time for Republicans to focus on beating Biden. As a practical matter, the GOP numbers are overwhelmingly in favor of Donald Trump to do the job. That’s my riff.

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow’s opening commentary on the July 17, 2023, edition of “Kudlow.”