U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) hinted that he could pursue a presidential campaign in 2024 should President Trump decide not to, during a speech to the 2020 Turning Point USA Student Action Summit.
Gaetz was delivering a speech critical of Attorney General Bill Barr, whom Gaetz believes went too far on the war on drugs, while insufficiently challenging deep state leaders and censorship of conservatives by big tech companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook.
During the speech, Gaetz put his name forward as a potential Attorney General should President Trump remain in office in 2021. However, he then went on to suggest that in a situation where Trump did not remain in office, nor decided to pursue the presidency in 2024, Gaetz should “pick the Attorney General”.
The Attorney General is appointed by the President of the United States to oversee the Department of Justice.
Marijuana Moment reports:
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) suggested on Saturday that he should either be president or attorney general—and added that if he ascended into either high office he would take a friendlier approach to marijuana than past administrations have.
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“And if for whatever reason he doesn’t run, maybe I ought to pick the attorney general,” he said in remarks first reported by Mediaite, implying a possible run for the presidency. “I’d go easy on marijuana, tough on big tech and I would go after the deep state. Wouldn’t that be a nice reversal?”
A clip of Gaetz’s speech can be seen below:
Marijuana legalization has long been central to Gaetz’s political platform. He has rejected efforts by the administration to crack down on state medical marijuana programs.
“We have the votes to continue the current policy through the appropriations process,” he said in response to a Marijuana Moment reporter in February.
READ MORE: Matt Gaetz Joins Electoral College Challenge, Says Tuberville Will Join Coalition
Until now, media speculation had suggested that Gaetz would defer to his in-state political ally Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in the event of a new presidential race, rather than running himself. Gaetz is also close to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Donald Trump Jr., both of whom are reportedly potential 2024 presidential contenders.