Youngkin praises potential rivals as he considers presidential bid

As Glenn Youngkin ponders a presidential run for 2024, his approach towards his potential rivals is starkly different from theirs: he is heaping praise on them. Early opinion polls indicate that the two leading candidates in the GOP Presidential primary contest are former President Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida. If Youngkin decides to run, his strategy seems to be to take them down with compliments.

“[DeSantis has] done a great job,” Youngkin commented to Politico. “If you look at Florida, he’s done a great job.”

When questioned about Trump, who has been harshly critical of his political opponents, Youngkin praised the former President’s policies, referring to them as “extremely good.”

“Things like manufacturing in America, and standing strong on the international stage, and bringing down taxes in order to fuel economic growth” were areas of strength for Trump, he said. However, Youngkin did criticize Trump’s time in office, stating that there were things that he would have done differently.

“Well, I think what you say and how you say it,” Youngkin stated. “I think there is a chance to disagree with people without being disagreeable. I don’t call people names. [Avoiding insults] is just one of the things I believe is appropriate. We just have different styles.”

The Virginia Governor, who achieved national prominence when he ran for office in 2021 and received support from Trump, appears to be considering a White House bid. He credited his win to campaigning for voters of all political persuasions and he believes that this approach will be crucial to his 2024 campaign. But he faces a difficult challenge from his two leading rivals, as he has only managed to gain 1% support in polling, while Trump and DeSantis have garnered 52% and 26% of the vote respectively, according to statistics from Morning Consult.