Gov. Justice: Harris-Trump matchup will be ‘more competitive’
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WHEELING -- The push by Republicans to portray President Joe Biden as frail and incompetent came two years too late, the governor of West Virginia said Tuesday in Wheeling.
Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, spoke about the recent upheaval in the 2024 presidential election after giving the keynote speech at the Women In Asphalt luncheon at Waterfront Hall in Wheeling.
The Democrats' move to force Biden out and replace him with another nominee "represents a dynamic we (Republicans) didn't need to have," Justice said.
"I would be a little different because I'm really hung up on how important the presidency of this country is," Justice said. "To be perfectly honest, and not casting any stones, the Democrats, the media and everybody have known for years of the situation we have and everything.
"Why did we wait until the last minute... and everybody runs in directions?" Justice said. "Why didn't we do something about this long ago? That's one thing."
Justice said he also hates the turmoil that Biden's withdrawal as Democratic nominee is causing on the political landscape.
"At the end of the day, what now will happen is that money will pour in on both sides," he said. "There will be a food fight like we can't imagine. I just think we as a nation have been exposed and something should have happened with this years ago."
He expects having Vice President Kamala Harris or someone else in the race will change the dynamic in this year's election.
"From a selfish standpoint, I think if Republicans would have just let this run its course. I don't mean this in a bad way, but I think Joe Biden was continuing to fall all over himself non-stop, and the Republicans would have won going away," Justice said.
Now there is a "reinvigorated Democratic party" with a different presidential nominee, Justice said.
"Money will be coming in every way beyond belief," he said. "It will become -- in my opinion -- a lot more competitive. From a selfish standpoint, I wanted Trump to win going away, but I think it will be tougher now."
Justice doesn't think the change in Democratic presidential nominee will affect his Senate race in West Virginia and he still believes Trump will win the presidency and go on to "change the course of this country."
"That was the most important thing to me. That's what I wanted to see," he said. "I wanted to see Donald Trump win overwhelmingly. I still think he can, but I wanted to see us flip the Senate and really change the course of what we're doing.
"The course we're on is crazyland stuff."
The attempted assassination of Trump earlier this month might have some politicians more reticent about holding large public events, particularly those outdoors.
Justice said he isn't fearful and doesn't plan any changes to security at his appearances.
"To be perfectly honest, I'm just stubborn," he said. "I'm not going to be afraid. Really and truly I love our country, and I love our people, and we've all got to be mindful and cautious. But you're not going to make me afraid."