WASHINGTON: After launching a new candidacy for the White House, Donald Trump did not meet the energy he hoped for.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
“Overall, this has been a really terrible launch to a presidential campaign,” said Lara Brown, a political science professor at George Washington University, noting that the former one-term US president stumbled on ” one scandal after another.
After hoping to ride a Republican “red wave” in the midterm elections last month, Asset instead, he found himself high and dry after the defeat of most of the notable candidates he supported.
Rejected by conservative heavyweights, the former president found himself the target of intense criticism again last month after having dinner with rapper Kanye West, accused of anti-Semitism, and white supremacist.
Many Republicans who had long feared incurring their leader’s wrath have now cast their scorn on the real estate mogul, calling the dinner party “ridiculous”, “disgusting” and “outrageous”.
Their efforts to distance themselves from the former president gained further momentum when Trump – who falsely claims he won the 2020 election – made calls to scrap the US Constitution.
And the point was driven once again on Tuesday, when one of Trump’s most famous protected candidates, former American football player Herschel Walker, lost a bid for a Senate headquarters in the state of Georgia.
“Trump also had a number of high-profile donors publicly state that they did not wish to support his 2024 campaign,” Brown told AFP.
The billionaire, known for his inflammatory speeches at rallies of red-capped supporters, has not held a single campaign event outside of his residence at Mar-a-Lago Golf Club in Florida since declaring his candidacy in november.
And while the 76-year-old has always thrived on political controversy, he is now the subject of a myriad of criminal and civil investigations, from his handling of classified documents to his financial dealings in New York.
Trump’s real problems are probably just beginning.
For more than a year, the controversial Republican has been under investigation over allegations he pressured Georgia state officials during the 2020 campaign. presidential electionwhich could lead to an indictment.
And a congressional committee investigating his responsibility for the attack on his supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 is expected to release a voluminous report in the coming weeks.
The panel has already indicated that it would recommend indictments, without specifying who might be targeted.
The decision whether or not to indict the former president will ultimately rest with Attorney General Merrick Garland, who in mid-November appointed a special prosecutor to independently investigate Trump.
Justice has already found his family business guilty of tax evasion, a blow for the ex-businessman, although he himself has not been tried.
— Hard core — But with the 2024 presidential election nearly two years away, Trump still has plenty of time to stage a comeback.
When he was abandoned by some in the conservative movement after the Capitol riot, the former leader succeeded in a few months in regaining almost total control of the party.
Trump’s political demise has been predicted many times, but so far he has survived. The more scandals he racks up, the less effect any individual incident seems to have on his power.
After taking office in November 2016 in an unprecedented political upheaval that hardly anyone anticipated, Trump could also be tempted to play the role of rebel candidate if defections from his ranks continue.
Polls show he’s still a big frontrunner in a hypothetical Republican primary, a fact he likes to brag about at every turn.
He can also still count on an unshakeable base, which swears unfailing support for the former president and continues to flock to his rallies.
But even those loyalists could eventually lose patience, Brown predicted.
“While some of his base may rally in support of him when he claims to be the victim of a political witch hunt in the coming months, for many I imagine that act is getting old,” she said. declared.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
“Overall, this has been a really terrible launch to a presidential campaign,” said Lara Brown, a political science professor at George Washington University, noting that the former one-term US president stumbled on ” one scandal after another.
After hoping to ride a Republican “red wave” in the midterm elections last month, Asset instead, he found himself high and dry after the defeat of most of the notable candidates he supported.
Rejected by conservative heavyweights, the former president found himself the target of intense criticism again last month after having dinner with rapper Kanye West, accused of anti-Semitism, and white supremacist.
Many Republicans who had long feared incurring their leader’s wrath have now cast their scorn on the real estate mogul, calling the dinner party “ridiculous”, “disgusting” and “outrageous”.
Their efforts to distance themselves from the former president gained further momentum when Trump – who falsely claims he won the 2020 election – made calls to scrap the US Constitution.
And the point was driven once again on Tuesday, when one of Trump’s most famous protected candidates, former American football player Herschel Walker, lost a bid for a Senate headquarters in the state of Georgia.
“Trump also had a number of high-profile donors publicly state that they did not wish to support his 2024 campaign,” Brown told AFP.
The billionaire, known for his inflammatory speeches at rallies of red-capped supporters, has not held a single campaign event outside of his residence at Mar-a-Lago Golf Club in Florida since declaring his candidacy in november.
And while the 76-year-old has always thrived on political controversy, he is now the subject of a myriad of criminal and civil investigations, from his handling of classified documents to his financial dealings in New York.
Trump’s real problems are probably just beginning.
For more than a year, the controversial Republican has been under investigation over allegations he pressured Georgia state officials during the 2020 campaign. presidential electionwhich could lead to an indictment.
And a congressional committee investigating his responsibility for the attack on his supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 is expected to release a voluminous report in the coming weeks.
The panel has already indicated that it would recommend indictments, without specifying who might be targeted.
The decision whether or not to indict the former president will ultimately rest with Attorney General Merrick Garland, who in mid-November appointed a special prosecutor to independently investigate Trump.
Justice has already found his family business guilty of tax evasion, a blow for the ex-businessman, although he himself has not been tried.
— Hard core — But with the 2024 presidential election nearly two years away, Trump still has plenty of time to stage a comeback.
When he was abandoned by some in the conservative movement after the Capitol riot, the former leader succeeded in a few months in regaining almost total control of the party.
Trump’s political demise has been predicted many times, but so far he has survived. The more scandals he racks up, the less effect any individual incident seems to have on his power.
After taking office in November 2016 in an unprecedented political upheaval that hardly anyone anticipated, Trump could also be tempted to play the role of rebel candidate if defections from his ranks continue.
Polls show he’s still a big frontrunner in a hypothetical Republican primary, a fact he likes to brag about at every turn.
He can also still count on an unshakeable base, which swears unfailing support for the former president and continues to flock to his rallies.
But even those loyalists could eventually lose patience, Brown predicted.
“While some of his base may rally in support of him when he claims to be the victim of a political witch hunt in the coming months, for many I imagine that act is getting old,” she said. declared.
