Trump declines to commit to endorsing GOP nominee if he loses primary

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday declined to commit to endorsing the Republican nominee for president in 2024 should he lose the party primary contest.

Speaking to radio show host Hugh Hewitt, Trump indicated that his endorsement of an alternate nominee would be dependent on that nominee's identity.

Hewitt referenced that former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is expected to soon announce her own candidacy for president while former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has openly explored a bid. 

"My question to you, Mr. President, if you’re not the nominee, will you support whoever the GOP nominee is?" Hewitt asked.

"It would depend. I would give you the same answer I gave in 2016 during the debates," Trump said. "It would have to depend on who the nominee was."

Trump is, to date, the only Republican to have formally declared his candidacy for president. Apart from the former president, Haley, and Hogan, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis also ranks highly among possible rivals for the party's 2024 nod.

Recent polling suggests that Trump remains a potent force in Republican circles. A Morning Consult survey conducted earlier this month showed Trump with 48 percent support, followed by DeSantis with 31 percent and former Vice President Mike Pence, who garnered 8 percent support.