Donald Trump 2024?
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022
The 2022 Midterm elections are fast approaching in November, and the Republicans are poised to re-take both the House and Senate. President Biden's approval rating has been abysmal among soaring gas prices, inflation, and unpopular funding of Ukrainian aid. Lurking in the background, waiting for the right time to emerge from his golf cart, is former President Donald Trump. Still able to amass large loyal crowds at rallies, and often flexing his kingmaking abilities with local Republican candidates, the path seems clear for him to make a triumphant return. Many might argue that his candidacy has been tainted by his consistent election fraud claims yet his base is more loyal than ever. Even with Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home, being raided by the FBI via search warrant - his supporters won't even concede the possibility that there was wrongdoing by the former president. So - is Trump 2024 going to happen? Or will he step aside and let a young Trump-esque prodigy rise to the occasion?
Since his loss in 2020, Trump has been vocal about the stolen election that gave Joe Biden the presidency. Despite 60 cases lost in Federal courts - presided over by judges he himself appointed - Trump and his closest confidants have remained determined to claim election fraud. My Pillow CEO and MAGA fan Mike Lindell has repeatedly claimed he has evidence of hacked voting machines, but fails to produce anything when given the opportunity to present. Dinesh D'Souza's documentary "2000 Mules" claims to showcase hard evidence of voter fraud but has been largely disputed among several experts across the partisan spectrum.
Was the election stolen? No, but I continue to welcome those who claim to have evidence to present their findings and be proven right or wrong. Either this is one of the largest conspiracies in modern history OR Trump and his allies are so desperate and child-like that losing is incomprehensible.
Unsurprisingly to me, Trump's fame and allure has barely waned. Some actively serving members of the GOP may have distanced themselves from the former president, but they've never condemned or wrote him off.
I suspect if he is the nominee to rematch Joe Biden, 90%+ of the party will fall in line and defend him at all costs.
THE LEGACY OF THE DONALD
Mean tweets, inappropriate comments, adultery, etc. Yes, Donald Trump will be long remembered for his bombastic, un-presidential nature. But his legacy as a President rests in his courageous attempt to upend Washington DC. Love him or hate him, Trump made heads spin and blew up the workflow. Congress' approval rating has been low for years, and Trump used this to his advantage.
Not only did he oversee the best American economy in years (pre-COVID), but he also:
Passed the Right to Try Act revolutionizing end of life treatment for those suffering, giving terminally ill patients access to lifesaving cures
Signed two executive orders to increase transparency in Federal agencies
Tackled the administrative state and signed orders to deregulate, and lessen the burden of government agencies on the American people
Negotiated with NATO partners to reach financial obligations
Brokered a groundbreaking peace agreement between Israel and Palestine - marking the first time Israel has agreed to a map and a Palestinian state.
Killed the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and eliminated the world’s top terrorist, Qasem Soleimani.
Sounds like I'm praising him doesn't it? Well - for these accomplishments, I am. I can both criticize his bad ideas and flawed character while at the same time applauding good outcomes of his presidency.
His actions on January 6th were irresponsible, his rhetoric surrounding the election has been abhorrent, and his bombastic nature on twitter and at rallies is beneath the office - BUT the positive things from his presidency should still be recognized and improved upon.
Pending on how the Mar-a-Lago seized documents play out, Trump's legacy will be one of chaos and conspiracy amid a battle with mainstream media and social media. The establishment's reaction to Trump and his ways may be the real historical lesson here.
FBI RAIDS MAR-A-LAGO
As of today, we still have more questions than answers as to why the Department of Justice went as far as issuing a search warrant for a former president's private home. The warrant released to the public shows the FBI seized several miscellaneous materials marked as Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, and Top Secret/SCI. The timeline of how and when the Justice Department and National Archives was working with Trump's legal team is quite unclear to me - but regardless, if Trump was housing high side documents - that is a no no.
Here's the thing. The warrant was granted, which seems pretty indicative of a “there” there. I feel like there’s no way they’d issue a search warrant on a former president without having every duck in a row. That would be a massive misstep to just grant a willy-nilly politically charged witch hunt without CONCRETE evidence. For a federal court to approve? You need a massive reason. Maybe we’ll find out, but the affidavit remains sealed and likely won't be fully showcased due to the sensitive nature of the documents.
OR could this be one of the largest conspiracies in US history to get rid of Trump?
The DOJ needs to pull in a bipartisan committee and brief them on EVERY detail, and allow them to brief a redacted version to the US, and her citizens. This cannot just sit behind closed doors and fester.
Many have been quick to call double standard, especially with Trump being the likely political opponent of the current administration in 2024. Where was the FBI's voracity for Hillary Clinton's unsecure email server and deleted emails? Where has the FBI been on investigating Hunter Biden and his now confirmed laptop contents? Where is the fervor in going after those on Ghislaine Maxwell's client list?
Certainly its possible to hold both them AND Trump accountable, because party shouldn't matter. Perhaps there are acceptable explanations for how different investigations play out, but the DOJ needs to better communicate its decision making to Congress. Congress then needs to report to its boss: We the People.
What happens if Donald Trump is charged, or arrested? Will he suspend a campaign attempt or will he use it like a martyr and cause more of a stir? OR will the DOJ refrain from issuing charges in fear of the political fallout?
Lets not forget that the Clinton email situation was investigated by Comey, and recommendations for charges were presented to the DOJ. Newly elected President Trump declined to pursue out of fear that those actions would further divide the nation.
2024 CAMPAIGN?
None of the following indicates any semblance of support or endorsement.
Will he formally announce a run before or after the midterms this November? Or will he wait for a more definitive path from the DOJ's investigation of him and documents kept at Mar-a-Lago? Either way, I personally think a Trump 2024 run is inevitable... but will the GOP fall in line or allow for a proper primary?
Lets war game this out with the assumption Biden is running as the incumbent:
IF TRUMP RUNS
If he announces his candidacy, I personally think this goes two ways.
Trump runs uncontested with the full backing of the GOP
Trump gets primaried by Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, or another unnamed Republican Candidate.
I lean more towards option A in this event. Everyone who loves DeSantis love Trump first. They won't bow to someone else if Trump himself is in the running.
OUTCOME?
I think its a massive victory for Trump. Biden and Kamala are far too unpopular to win reelection against someone as fearless and bombastic as Trump. Trump is synonymous with "better economy", and at the end of the day that's all that voters care about.
IF TRUMP DOESN'T RUN
Whether it be due to insurmountable legal issues or the lack of will from the GOP, Trump not running is still a possibility. There are a couple paths:
DeSantis is the clear favorite and he runs virtually unopposed. Maybe Ted Cruz or other Republicans throw their hats in the ring with the absence of Trump - but its DeSantis' race to lose.
DeSantis throws a curveball and doesn't run, paving the way for other GOP darlings like Ted Cruz, Nikki Haley, or even Donald Trump Jr. Its anyone's race then.
I think DeSantis has positioned himself too perfectly to not be the nominee, and is probably the GOP's best shot at beating Biden. The real contest would be him vs. Trump - but I'm confident it will be either or.