He had alluded to it during his campaign appearance in Dayton, Ohio. On Tuesday night, Donald Trump sprang into action: At his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, the 76-year-old announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. It comes as no surprise, but many Republicans will secretly groan.
Because Trump’s winning image has been ruined since last week’s midterm elections. The landslide victory Republicans had hoped for given the ideal conditions and the polls failed to materialize. They will control the House of Representatives, but the Democrats will continue to rule the more powerful Senate.
Some still can’t believe that the widely anticipated “red wave” has not materialized. “I feel like a man whose compass is going so crazy I don’t know where north is,” longtime warhorse Newt Gingrich, a former House Speaker, told the Washington Post.
‘Donald Trump has to go, period’
The culprit was quickly found: Donald Trump. He had pushed candidates for key positions in the swing states, who backed his lie about the stolen 2020 election victory and in some cases openly stated that they would get the “correct” result in 2024. They all failed, most recently Kari Lake, who ran for governor of Arizona.
Trump’s denial of Joe Biden’s election victory and his attacks on democracy have led to a resolute backlash. More and more Republicans want to forget the Trump era and look ahead, including major party donors. “Donald Trump has to go, period,” Bobbie Kilberg, a major Virginia financier, told the Washington Post.
The problem is that Trump doesn’t want to back down. There are three main reasons that led him to run again:
the ego
Donald Trump is a loser, was the general verdict after the midterms. However, for his huge ego, this word does not exist. He considers himself a born winner, even though his track record as an entrepreneur has been mixed to say the least and his four years in the White House have been one of constant chaos.
That is why Trump cannot bring himself to accept his electoral defeat at the hands of Joe Biden. And that’s why he thinks he’s the only one who can save the United States from anything (“Save America” is his current campaign slogan). His renewed candidacy for president is the logical consequence of so much self-importance.
the judicial power
Donald Trump is notorious for his courtesy. But now justice is breathing down his neck. Four high-profile cases stand out. A trial in New York state is well advanced. In September, Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization for fraud and tax evasion.
In three other cases, Trump is even criminally prosecuted. The FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago revealed that the former president stole highly classified material as he left the White House. And in the state of Georgia, Trump and his entourage are under investigation for inciting voter fraud.
The most important case, however, concerns the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, which increasingly turned out to be a planned coup. The investigative committee of the House of Representatives is expected to present its report in December. After that, Attorney General Merrick Garland will have to decide if and how action will be taken against Trump.
Donald Trump himself has not been charged in any of these cases. And the thresholds for a conviction are high, because the ex-president will mobilize an army of lawyers. It’s even better for him to get re-elected to the White House. As the sitting president of the US, he could legally grant himself a reprieve.
the base
Donald Trump still enjoys strong support from the party base. Whit Ayres, a pollster for the Republicans, divided them into three groups compared to the Washington Post. About 10 percent are “Never Trumpers” who categorically reject him. 50 percent are “Maybe Trumpers” who would be ready to break.
The problem is the 40 percent that Ayres describes as “always trumps”. They follow their hero unconditionally and would never let him down. These hardcore fans are Trump’s greatest asset to his party and motivation to run again. Because it’s hard to imagine Republicans would want to do without them.
In principle, many Republicans realize that they can no longer win a flowerpot with Donald Trump. Some have made their aspirations for the presidency more or less clear, such as ex-Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, or Larry Hogan, the outgoing Maryland head of government.
Others still keep a low profile, especially Ron DeSantis, many of whom have high expectations. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin are also apparently exploring a possible candidacy. It remains to be seen if they will really dare to challenge Trump in a Republican primary.
After January 6, 2021, it seemed that Republicans would be ready to break away from the polarizing ex-president. But soon they paid tribute to him again, also because of his fan base. Trump knows that, which is why he’s running again. Joe Biden and especially the Democrats can be happy about this.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
