Matt Schlapp, chair of the Conservative Political Action Coalition, told Newsmax on Wednesday that some candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are making a mistake by relying on identity politics to separate themselves from the field.
"It's always a big deal when there's something that's a differentiator for you," Schlapp told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "I think the problem for Vivek [Ramaswamy] saying that I'm the younger [Donald] Trump and Nikki Haley saying I'm a female nonwhite version of Trump and like all of this — like, I'm Trump, but I'm just a little bit younger and glossier and everything else — it just doesn't work with voters in the Republican Party.
"We're so tired of all the boxes that you have to check in order to get a job or get into school or whatever, like we just want to be Americans, just want to be people. Whatever our background is, is fine. We accept it, but we just want the toughest person."
Schlapp said the cult of personality is becoming so pervasive in politics, with candidates such as Ramaswamy and Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posting videos of themselves exercising shirtless.
"Remember when all those beautiful young Hollywood people decided that they would do what they called sex tapes and act like they were shocked when they were released?" Schlapp said. "And then we read later that they actually had the gall to produce those tapes. This is a little bit of like that. The cult of personality is all about politics now.
"It's not about how perfectly tied is your red tie, and how perfectly coiffed is your hair. It's more like who are you as a person, and so in some ways, it seems weird. But I have to say, at least in RFK's example, he's an older guy [69]. It kind of took people by surprise that he was in such good shape.
"His point: Joe Biden can barely walk across the stage. I'm over here doing like fingertip push-ups. I'm your guy, and it's hard to argue with RFK because no one was taking him seriously, and he's doing pretty well."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.