You don’t have to be Elizabeth Barrett Browning to count the ways another shot at the White House would be bad for Mr. Trump. His brand will be irreparably damaged if he suffers another loss. He will always claim the 2020 election was stolen and forever maintain his status as a winner. But should he be defeated in the 2024 general election (or, even more embarrassingly, the primary), he can’t cry foul again. Nobody likes a sore loser—especially a two-time loser.

Further, a 2024 Trump loss in the general election would doom the Republicans to another four years out of the White House. Republicans would forever resent the former president for wasting the opportunity, and Mr. Trump would quickly turn from party redeemer to pariah.

It is much wiser for Mr. Trump to play the role of kingmaker. He can throw his bombastic support behind a younger candidate who shares his Republican bona fides with little risk to himself. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is an obvious choice. In 2024, assuming he is re-elected this November, Mr. DeSantis will have six years of political seasoning since his election in 2018.