Longtime Trump ally flatly says he can't win next year

One of former President Donald Trump's longtime Senate allies stated flatly on Thursday that he thinks it's time for the Republican Party to move on because he doesn't believe Trump can win in 2024.

The Dallas Morning News reports that Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told reporters that the Republican Party must prioritize finding an electable candidate for the 2024 election or else risk getting locked out of the White House yet again.

"To me, this all boils down to electability," he said. "I’ve been through quite a few elections in my life. And there’s no prize for coming in second. In other words, losing. Unless you can win an election, you don’t get to govern your priorities.”

Even though Trump won the electoral college in 2016 despite having lost the popular vote, Cornyn expressed doubt that the former president could pull off the same trick again.

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"I don’t think President Trump understands that when you run in a general election, you have to appeal to voters beyond your base," he said. "There’s no question that President Trump has some enthusiastic supporters as part of his base. That works well for him in a Republican primary, but not well when you need to expand your appeal in a general election."

While Cornyn thinks Trump will likely lose in 2024, Republican primary voters apparently disagree, as polls show the former president at the moment is dominating the field with a lead of more than 20 points over his nearest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.