'Doomed to fail': Ex-GOP rep explains why the Republican candidates are trapped

Despite facing four indictments, Donald Trump remains the leading GOP presidential candidate, while his opponents have faced criticism for refusing to condemn the MAGA hopeful amid his legal battles — except former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

During the latest episode of CNN News Central, hosts Brianna Keilar and Boris Sanchez spoke with CNN analyst Alice Stewart and former US Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) about why the other candidates — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ex-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — can't seem to get ahead.

Keilar and Sanchez rolled a clip from DeSantis' Thursday interview with the Christian Broadcast Network, in which he said, "I wish Trump hadn't been indicted on all this stuff."

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Responding to the video, Walsh said, "Look. I know Desantis is getting a lot of grief for that. But he's correct. This is the deal, and it's the trap all of these guys are in. DeSantis, Haley, all of them. They cannot oppose Trump on any of these indictments in the Colorado rulings, because if you publicly attack Trump on any of this, you're done as a Republican candidate. I've heard so many Republican commentators on CNN and elsewhere say, 'Why didn't Desantis or Nikki Haley go after Trump on these indictments?' Because they're trying to be the Republican party nominee and if you go after Trump, you are not going to win. It would've been the right thing to do, but he's exactly right. They've got to stand by him."

Stewart added, "It's even a little bit more than that. Joe, you're right on that, it's a little bit more than that. They're looking at the standpoint, Democrats have criticized Donald Trump, understandably and necessarily, for interfering in the election on January 6. They look at what the courts are doing now as interfering in the election process in 2024. That is one of the big concerns — stopping someone they see a viable challenger and getting inlved when should be up to the people."

Walsh said, "And that's why the Colorado ruling, I think, is the biggest gift for Trump, because it's not just his base who supports what's going on with him, but the indictments. I mean, Trump's leading candidate in the Republican party. He has been indicted four times. You're running against him. Why wouldn't you go after him? Because you can't."

Sanchez then noted, "It's interesting that you described it as a trap. It's almost like they're doomed to fail because they can't criticize him, and they can't compete with him at the same time."

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Watch the video below or at this link.

How the Republican candidates are trapped: ex-GOP congressmanyoutu.be