A fortnight ago, the man who spawned an insurrection on the 6th of January, 2021 relaunched his bid to return as the American President. The present reality is that Mr. Donald Trump, the man who hit the world like the scariest part of a horror movie is plotting a return to the White House, the big question therefore is; how feasible is that ungodly mission? The answer is evident.
A few years ago, fair-minded Americans watched helplessly as Trump tried ceaselessly to destroy the American democracy under the guise of working to ‘make America great again’. They had to endure the gory images, scene after scene in bewilderment as Trump called for a democratic coup to keep him in the White House.
Inspired by thousands or even millions of his ultra-right-wing extremists and fantasts at that time, Trump freely engaged in a macabre dance that made the highly revered America, the subject of mockery in the world. Conceding defeat or congratulating the man who beat him silly at the polls was something Trump never did. He sulked, bluffed, and balked, however, in the end, he had to sneak away like a bully thoroughly beaten by an underdog. If he had succeeded with his coup back then, it surely leaves one wondering which office he would have been seeking today.
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One of the biggest reasons why American democracy has managed to survive for so long is that Ex-Presidents have a history of stepping out of the limelight for a while after leaving office whether they were defeated or completed their tenures. Former Presidents such as Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and Barack Obama all left the scene after they left office. This always guaranteed the peaceful transfer of power and also goes on to allow the new President put his foot on the ground while focusing on plans and policies in the interest of the American people.
For Trump, the story is far different. He left the White House in 2020, but he has sworn not to leave the limelight. To the surprise of many good-thinking Americans, he has continued to drive home his grievances and opinions in the crudest way. Rather than take a bow like his predecessors, he has made opposition all about Donald Trump and him alone. When he is not apportioning credit to himself for any good thing that happens whether or not he played a role in attaining it, he will be lambasting his successor for any wrong that happens in the country not minding if the assessment was fair or not.
The Trump era was a crazy period. Back then, not even facts needed to be factual. Provided any line justified his ends, it made a syllogism for Trump. The most powerful country in the world was reduced to an eyesore theatre of absurdities just because Donald Trump meandered his way into the White House. It is a period characterised by a circus of drama that made America a laughing stock in the comity of nations.
Under Trump, the world for the first time in many decades began to cast doubts on the primacy of the US in issues relating to global affairs. Trump tampered with everything, from climate change to migration to nuclear deals down to foreign relations. Trump never hid his desire to redesign the US to suit his fantasies.
On the home front, Trump pushed through scandal after scandal with skin tougher than that of an Elephant. Trump was notorious for bullying the press, using conservative judges to rig the Supreme Court, and trampling over congress. He sustained this hysteria for years and by the time, he was done, many normal people even began to doubt their sanity.
It was important to refresh these things because many seem to have forgotten them so soon. While launching his bid to claim the nomination of the Republican Party two weeks ago, Trump once again attacked President Joe Biden lamenting that in his absence, the US is now facing embarrassment and humiliation ever since he left the White House. The tone of the comments he delivered on the night simply gave a hint of what Trump will be throwing into the polity in the coming weeks and months.
Perhaps, Trump does not know that rather than help his party’s chances, his actions have continued to hurt it. Most of the candidates in the recent mid-term election know this and Republicans who will tell themselves the truth knows that the clownish Ex-President will once again deny them any real chance at victory in 2024.
Presently, one could argue that the Republican Party is populated by people who have grown very weary of Trump despite their support and admiration for some of his policies while in office. A good number of these people now see him differently after his nasty, erroneous, and vindictive comments after the last elections. Most of these people have simply disconnected from Trump for many justifiable reasons. The way the Republican Party has responded to Trump’s criticisms of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) clearly shows this.
One thing is almost guaranteed, during the primaries, Trump will surely be looking to deploy all the resources and leverage available to him to get the leaders of the Republican Party to back him while also playing serious games to trash any dissenting Republican who goes head-to-head with him. The first collateral damage will be the Republican party itself which will become even more divided and fragmented than it currently is, and perhaps this is good for Americans provided it pushes Trump farther away from the White House.
During the US November mid-term elections, Trump unceremoniously showed up again to the ring anticipating a Red wave which thankfully did not happen. This was nothing short of a strong message to the Republicans whether or not they will take it solely dependent on them but the message is simple – they stand no chance with Trump in any election from now.
Perhaps, one of the biggest factors Republicans must consider is that in recent times, no presidential candidate has ever won any election in the US without the independents. Feelers on the ground from the mid-term elections show part of the reason why the Red wave never happened was that many Republican candidates couldn’t secure the support of Independents, especially the Republican candidates who were in one way or the other affiliated with Trump in the build-up to the 2024 election, there is nothing on the ground to suggest that Trump has what it takes to recapture those independents and this should be a clear pointer for Republicans who are nurturing the dreams for a return to the White House soon.
While all this is going on, Republicans should be gearing up for some serious inter-party crisis because if they do not hand their ticket to Trump for the 2024 elections, he will most likely cast doubts on the primaries and question the outcome. They will have to make a difficult decision of whether to stop him at the primaries or allow American voters to do that for them. Head or Tail, they are sure to lose out.
Finally, Trump can continue to delude himself. While claiming that he wants to save America, he should be reminded that America needs to save itself from his games and tomfoolery. He should stop abusing the sensibilities of Americans through his messianic rhetoric and empty claims, the citizens of the US are wiser now, going by feelers on the ground, they will not make the same mistakes twice.
