Some people of his own party fear that Donald Trump will not be able to win the presidential election. Some fear he will win, writes special editor Seppo Varjas.
Has that moment already passed? Is there nobody left standing in Donald Trump’s way for the Republican presidential nomination of the United States for the third time?
Primary elections will be held in early 2024. Still, there are already candidates, the most famous of whom is Trump himself. Besides her, the only former governor with “political credibility” is Nikki Haley, ambassador to the United Nations. Haley has little support.
Some people in America may remember former Congressman and Governor Asa Hutchinson and media personality Larry Elder. Businessmen Vivek Ramaswamy, Perry Johnson and Ryan Binkley say nothing to all Americans.
Now a heavy series is going on.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is most expected to announce his candidacy. DeSantis has already toured the country “marketing the book” and collecting election funds.
According to CNN, before announcing his candidacy, DeSantis is trying to push through a law change in Florida that would allow him to run for president without leaving his current position.
When Republicans were disappointed with their goals in the congressional midterm elections, many believed that Trump’s time was up. It failed to inspire voters to get behind the candidates they supported.
It seemed that DeSantis’s moment had hit. He is more than 30 years younger than Trump and appeals to voters like Trump. DeSantis supporters think his package is better.
However, in the polls, Trump’s neck is growing over DeSantis. Trump’s lawsuits only strengthen his supporters. Incredibly, even a civil trial for a sex offense in New York doesn’t seem to have any effect on this.
DeSantis needs to hold his tongue. It revolves around the question of whether it is a lie that Trump was denied the presidency in the 2020 election. For the most ardent Republican, it is a test of faith.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is considered Trump’s worst opponent within the Republican Party. However, he has not yet confirmed his candidature. Photo: Stephen Maturen / Lehtkuwa
Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence would offer a more traditional conservatism. According to the New York Times, he is going to announce his candidacy soon.
The break between Trump and Pence in January 2021 was as public as possible. At the time, Trump’s most ardent supporters wanted to lynch Pence in its courtyard after taking over the Congressional building. It did not seek to block acceptance of the election result that propelled Joe Biden to the presidency. Trump didn’t point a finger at Pence.
For the 2016 election, Trump chose Pence as his running mate because he appealed to evangelical Christians who often vote Republican. Trump is an old scoundrel. So Pence was needed to court the Christian vote.
Pence would like to return to the 40 years when Ronald Reagan led the country. He was supported by the Christian Right, economic conservatives, and foreign policy hawks. The latter in particular has been problematic since President Trump was friends with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.
Pence’s weakness is that some believe he will even make it to the primaries.
Mike Pence appeals to conservative believers. Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Within Republicans, Trump is opposed for two reasons. What is more obvious is that he is likely to lose to Joe Biden for the second time in a row. Trump barks about Biden’s age, but is only four years younger than himself. Biden’s edge was sharp in the last election debates and won.
One sober reason to oppose Trump is that he might actually win.
Biden is looking older than Trump. He hasn’t taken his time in the White House lightly. President Biden has a lot of balls in the air at all times, and inevitably one of them hits the ground from time to time. Trump is waiting for those moments.
Some Republicans secretly fear moments of failure for Biden as they draw Trump’s election closer.
If Trump, after being elected, immediately begins to push for a forced peace in Ukraine, the credibility of the United States will plummet. Anyway, there will be a lot of destruction in foreign policy.
Trump has lost once. Once elected, he will probably try to arrange that power remains in his hands.
Some Republicans fear that another season of Trump’s rampage could be the party’s undoing. They may be in the minority.
