The Washington Free Beacon’s Lachlan Markay went on Fox Business Network to discuss Donald Trump’s effect on the 2016 race and Vice President Joe Biden’s potential entrance into the contest with Lou Dobbs Friday night.
Markay, joined by Real Clear Politics’ Rebecca Berg, argued that candidates who take on Trump by playing his game of verbal jabs and personal assaults are doomed to lose. Trump has successfully gotten under the skin of the other GOP contenders while shooting up to the top of the polls.
"We saw the first candidate to go very aggressively after trump, Rick Perry, dropped out of the race," Markay said. "If you want a case study for how that works out for the Republican candidates, that's a cautionary tale."
One candidate has chosen a different course than the rest of the field. Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) has welcomed Trump’s candidacy with open arms, even holding an event protesting the Iran nuclear deal with the GOP frontrunner in front of the Capitol this week. Many pundits believe Trump has taken the voters Cruz was counting on, and as a result, Cruz’s strategy has been to warm up to Trump so the Texas senator is best positioned to gain Trump’s supporters if he bows out of the race.
"That's the amazing thing about Donald Trump, he makes Cruz look like an establishmentarian and certainly his post in Washington didn't help with that," Markay said.
Markay, Berg, and Dobbs also pondered whether Biden would give Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) a challenge on the Democratic side. Following an emotional interview with comedian Stephen Colbert Thursday night, Markay said he was not sure if Biden would ultimately decide to run, but that if he did, he would have a serious chance at the White House.
"I think it showcased why he would be a formidable candidate," Markay said. "He's honest, candid, very likable and relatable. He's got that going for him."