Karl Rove Predicts ‘Fratricidal Warfare’ for GOP Post-Donald Trump Loss
Karl Rove knows that if Donald Trump loses in November, it's going to get ugly for the GOP. "The Republican Party will go through a period of introspection, otherwise known as fratricidal warfare," he said at a New York City festival this weekend.
The Republican political consultant and former senior adviser to President George W. Bush sat down with Carlos Watson, former CNN and MSNBC contributor and current CEO of digital news site OZY, at OZY Fusion Festival in Manhattan on Saturday.
He discussed a number of items, including Donald Trump's chances at the presidency, Bernie Sanders' ascent and Taylor Swift's paycheck.
"Last year, that woman made $170 million, that is more than the combined pay of the CEOs of the six largest banks in America, Citi (C) - Get Report , Wells Fargo (WFC) - Get Report , you name it," he said. "So I'm waiting for Occupy Hollywood."
Rove, who hasn't had the warmest of relationships with Trump, has recently begun to warm up to the bombastic businessman, holding private meetings with him, offering advice and even earning a recent Twitter shout-out.
Still, the former deputy chief of staff under the Bush administration remains cautious in assessing Trump's chances at the White House, not only because of Trump's limitations but also because of his own.
"We should all be humbled by this last year of forecasting how this election's going to come out. I frankly don't know, he's the underdog, because it's a much narrower path for him, particularly if he's got problems among Latinos," he said when asked by Watson how he thinks the election should turn out.
A high percentage of voters remain undecided this election cycle, leaving the door open for surprises. Both candidates face historically high unfavorability ratings as well.
"It's going to be unpredictable," Rove said, later adding, "We've not seen this in our lifetimes."
Trump's rise isn't the only shocker in Election 2016. The popularity of Sen. Bernie Sanders took many by surprise as well.
Rove marveled at Sanders' rise and fundraising success -- the Vermont senator raised over $200 million this election cycle, largely through grassroots funding.
"Think about it -- blessed by Barack Obama, former first lady of the United States backed by the Clinton machine, and Bernie gives her a run for the money," Rove said.
The disruption of both the Democratic and Republican parties will last long past November, regardless of this next election's outcome, Rove said. And he nodded to things getting even weirder, citing rapper Kanye West's announcement he might give it a go at the Oval Office in four years.
"Well, yes, I really want him negotiating bilateral trade agreements," he joked.
In fact, he might see West's chances as better than Ted Cruz's, following his refusal to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention last week in Cleveland.
"I have rarely seen somebody commit political suicide in front of a nationally televised audience," he said.
He wasn't bullish about Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson's chances, either. "Third-party candidates fade like the morning dew," he said.
Rove faced a tough crowd at Saturday's event.
Prior to his session, The New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell railed against the American education system and the human capitalization rate. A few boos could be heard from the audience as he took the stage.
"God bless him for sitting up here," said N.J. Sen. Cory Booker, who followed up Rove as a speaker.
Action Alerts PLUS, which Cramer co-manages as a charitable trust, is long WFC and C.