6/ . . . it would have been actual contest for the leadership of the Republican Party. I cannot imagine how anyone thought they'd win on the message of: "Donald Trump is being unfairly prosecuted and persecuted because Democrats hate him, but he should not lead the fight against the Democrats."

I think they were hoping the 14th amendment or incarceration would legally eliminate Trump, and one of them would be there to swoop in to fill the vacuum.

7/7 The one thing that I know *for certain* about the past is that I cannot change it. Any counterfactual can never be tested. This is, however, may authentic assessment of the 2024 GOP nomination fight.