Although Trump’s presidential aspirations were confirmed on Tuesday evening, the former president’s political future is anything but clear, writes ‘s US correspondent Iida Tikka.
WASHINGTON Late Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump said out loud what everyone already knew to expect. Trump is running for president again in the 2024 presidential election.
Or he wants to strive – it is not at all clear that Trump would be elected as the Republican presidential candidate. The results of the midterm elections have been disappointing for the Republicans, and the candidates supported by Trump did particularly poorly in the elections.
For example, in the state of Arizona, Democrats won both the secretary of state and governor elections for the first time in many decades, when moderate Republicans voted for a Democrat rather than a Trump-backed candidate.
In recent days, many Republicans have openly expressed their wish that the party would move forward, not backward, that is, choose someone other than Trump as the face of the party in the next election.
With political popularity in decline, the timing of Trump’s presidential campaign announcement could be considered poorly chosen. In reality, it makes perfect sense, because the presidential candidate has much bigger problems than a poor midterm election result.
The Ministry of Justice is in progress several degrees about Trump.
For example, Trump’s actions during a coup attempt or top-secret state secrets found during a search of his Mar-a-Lago home can lead to prosecution and harsh sentences. If Trump were to be convicted of mishandling state secrets, that in itself would cut off Trump’s path to the presidency.
Before the midterm elections, it was known that the Ministry of Justice would avoid bringing politically charged charges before the elections. The charges have therefore been expected to be filed sometime after the elections.
However, Trump’s rushed campaign announcement makes it significantly more difficult. If the Justice Department brings charges now, it will be easy for Trump to paint them as a political chase. Then the Justice Department’s charges might even tighten Trump’s campaign and especially fundraising.
But how much Trump needs tightening? That is difficult to answer at the moment.
Republicans are still licking their wounds after the failure of the midterm elections. The reason will be looked for anywhere, and the truth is that Trump and the candidates he supports are a big reason for the defeat.
Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis on the other hand, has received a lot of attention and is considered a likely presidential candidate.
The primary between Trump and DeSantis would be bloody, as both are fighting for the same supporters, the core voters of Trump’s MAGA movement.
It is still too early to say which of the potential candidates is more likely to win. DeSantis’s much-vaunted victory in Florida was due in part to redistricting that gave Republicans an even better chance of winning the state’s congressional elections. So far, DeSantis has not been tested in a national election.
And while the Republican leadership now seems to have abandoned Trump, post-election recriminations may die down with time. For example, after the coup attempt, many Republicans vowed to never see anything like it again in the United States, only to later vote against Trump’s impeachment.
Trump has shown his durability in American politics. Now it’s about whether moderate Republicans have had enough.