Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

‘It Is Fundamentally Remarkable What He Did’: Scott Jennings Questions GOP’s Future In Post-Trump Era

Screenshot/YouTube/Institute of Politics Harvard Kennedy School

Republican strategist Scott Jennings questioned whether the Republican Party would be able to maintain President Donald Trump’s coalition after he leaves office during a Thursday talk at Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School.

Vice President JD Vance seems well-positioned to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten said in August. Jennings said during the talk, which was livestreamed on the institute’s YouTube channel, that he would be stunned if Vance did not secure the nomination, but stressed that Trump was irreplaceable.

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“[I]t’s hard for me to imagine how you could replicate Trump the politician. On top of that, I have some question about who could possibly hold together the coalition that he put together to win,” Jennings said. “You know, it’s amazing that he was able to come back the way he did. It’s the greatest political comeback in American political history — maybe the greatest comeback since Napoleon — but it is fundamentally remarkable what he did. And to try to ascribe that sort of talent to someone else is hard for me to envision.”

“So where does it go from here? It would be shocking to me if JD Vance wasn’t the nominee of the Republican Party, provided that he and the president have a good relationship and this president continues to be viewed by Republicans as operating in the way they approve of, which they overwhelmingly do,” he continued. “And so, Vice President Vance is going to have a chance to carry the movement forward. But carrying a movement forward or being the next man up is not the same as replicating Trump. I just don’t think you can replicate it.”

Jennings said it was possible that some Trump voters would not continue to vote for Republicans, noting that his supporters historically have voted for him during presidential elections but not for the GOP in other elections.

“Will they vote for the next person for president that’s not Trump? We don’t know that yet. So, as a tactical matter, that has to be solved if the Republicans are to retain the full coalition that Trump has been able to put together,” he said. “You know, JD Vance is, I think, a skillful person, but he’s different than Trump and he has a different skill set and he has some different views on some policy issues. And it’ll be his to shape. But to replicate it — near impossible.”

Democratic data firm Catalist’s May 2025 analysis of the 2024 presidential election found that former Vice President Kamala Harris lost in part due to receiving under 50% backing from infrequent and new voters, who are typically more young and diverse than the general electorate. NewsNation political contributor Chris Cillizza said after the analysis that he was struck by how well Trump performed with nonwhite voters, particularly younger ones.

“Latino men moved four times more toward Donald Trump in 2024 than white men without a college degree, which is pretty striking. So again, Latino men 12 points more Republican in 2024 than 2020. That is striking,” Cillizza said. “Men overall six points … In 2024, 18 to 29 year olds voted 6% overall — all 18 to 29 year olds — voted 6% more Republican than they had in 2020. But if you look at young people of color, it’s even more striking.”

“Latino 18 to 29 year olds, again, 12 points more Republican than they had been four years ago. Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders nine more points Republican than they had been four years ago,” he added. “Urban 18 to 29 year olds, those living in cities, 9% more Republican than they had been four years ago.”