The closest and most determined opponents of Donald Trump in the primary election are intensifying their assaults, charging him with lying about them, being afraid of debates, and even being a disaster as president.
However, with just 12 days until the Iowa caucuses, governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Nikki Haley of South Carolina, the former governor of South Carolina, would not dare condemn the front-runner Republican for his attack on American democracy, which is his worst weakness and one that might trip him up in a general election and haunt him in history.
Their hesitation might be interpreted as unethical behavior throughout the campaign and indicate a lack of political bravery as Trump becomes more and more dictatorial in the lead-up to a potential presidency that he promises to utilize for personal vengeance.
In fact, during a Grey TV town hall on Tuesday, one Iowa voter asked DeSantis in writing, “Why do you protect Trump? What fears do you harbor?
However, considering that the former president seems to have an even stronger hold on the GOP than when he fled Washington in disgrace after attempting to rig the 2020 election, his opponents’ stance does make tactical sense. Trump’s appeal to Republicans stems in part from his unruly demeanor, disregard for convention, and image as a folk hero. However, the base’s general lack of interest in holding him accountable for his anti-democratic actions and the notion that he should take responsibility for outrages like his supporters’ mob assault on the US Capitol is also serving to strengthen his position of power.
Similar to his time as president, when his supremacy silenced GOP opponents in Congress, Trump’s superpower protects him from the fallout from his deeds and makes it politically unfeasible for his challengers to gain a portion of the electorate to hold him accountable.
Trump made a new development in the intricate legal maze created by his persistent defiance of political limitations on Tuesday, ahead of a two-week period during which he must deal with an astounding variety of court duties and potential reversals in his cases. He filed an appeal against the Democratic secretary of state of Maine’s decision to exclude him from the ballot due to the 14th Amendment’s prohibition on “insurrectionists.” That came after the Colorado Supreme Court made the identical ruling, which he is also anticipated to appeal. Both lawsuits may reach the US Supreme Court.
If past events are any indication, Trump’s four criminal charges, his civil fraud trial in New York, and the ballot issue—which is constitutionally contentious even among many liberal legal scholars—will all serve to further bond him to his base followers.
DeSantis and Haley will be forced to search once more for a means to criticize Trump without offending the Republicans who still harbor strong feelings for him.
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DeSantis, who is counting on an unexpected victory in Iowa to spark a campaign that once seemed like it would be a national powerhouse, blasted the former president on Tuesday for his refusal to participate in a CNN discussion that will take place in the Hawkeye State the following week. He implied that he would execute Trumpism in the Oval Office considerably more skillfully than its creator.
Why is he exempt from answering questions? While he ran on promises to deport illegal immigrants and build a wall, he failed to complete those projects in 2016. DeSantis stated, “I believe he should be explained those questions.”
Subsequently, on the Grey TV town hall, the governor of Florida refuted claims that he had been kind towards Trump, maintaining that he had struck a stark contrast with the former president.
While on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, where she intends to become the only viable contender against Trump, Haley informed the public that the former president’s recent, acerbic criticism of her indicates that he is concerned about her challenge.
“Every single thing he has said has been untrue, both in his speeches and in his commercials. Every one. She refuted Trump’s assertions on her petrol tax policies as governor, saying, “I searched for some grain of truth, every single one.”
The main topic of conversation is how strong the economy was under Trump. Is that correct? But at what price? “He put us in debt for $8 trillion in just four years,” she said, going on to say, “You don’t go around pretending that your economy is doing well by bankrupting us.”
However, Haley ignored the anti-democratic elephant in the room, just like DeSantis did.
Haley and DeSantis are now launching scathing criticisms of one another in addition to intensifying their emphasis on Trump. A super PAC supporting Haley is releasing an advertisement in Iowa that calls DeSantis “phony” and “too lame to lead.” Haley has been attacked by the DeSantis political war room as “Tricky Nikki.” The caustic tone is a reflection of how desperate Haley and DeSantis are to win the presidential contest and emerge from January as the obvious front-runners against Trump.
Due to their mutual animosity, many observers believe they are locked in a struggle for second place in a national campaign before the formal start of the GOP nomination contest in Iowa on January 15. Securing the GOP nomination, only three years after putting US democracy to the ultimate test in modern history would be a dramatic political comeback for Trump.
While the idea of Trump’s return to power horrifies many Americans and most of the free world, his sustained supremacy among Republicans reveals a tremendous mismatch between the political and factual perceptions that span the center of the country.
There is an astonishing lack of desire among GOP supporters for responsibility for what transpired after the previous president, while Democrats and the media obsess over the potential effects of a second Trump term on democracy. The behavior of senior GOP leaders in Washington has long been determined by their dislike of thinking back on the events of January 2021. Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana publicly backed former President Trump on Tuesday, demonstrating the former president’s growing authority.
Furthermore, a recent Washington Post and University of Maryland survey released on Tuesday revealed that Republican supporters are growing less and less inclined to hold Trump accountable as of January 6, 2021. While 72% of Republicans believe it’s time to move on, 55% of US people believe the Capitol storming was an attack on democracy that should never be forgotten. Republicans who believed that Trump was responsible for the attack “a great deal” or “a good amount” two years ago made up 27% of the group. After months of Trump characterizing those imprisoned for the attack as political prisoners, the study shows that just 14% of people do so now.
While many politicians, analysts, and journalists are focused on democracy, it’s a less pressing concern in other parts of the nation, where most voters are more affected by issues like high prices that remain after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Republican voter polling demonstrates why Trump has been able to profit so readily from his numerous indictments and incidents when he was disqualified from office in Maine and Colorado. It also explains why DeSantis and Haley criticize Trump in passing but have not yet confronted him for tipping the scales of American democracy.
“This was brought before the country via impeachment. He was found not guilty. January 6 is, in my opinion, baked into the cake. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Republican, stated on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, “I think the Jack Smith cases are not changing the political outcome in polling.” Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating two federal criminal cases against the former president. “Republicans think Donald Trump did a good job as president, which puts him in a strong position to win the Republican primary.”
After years of Trump making baseless accusations of electoral fraud and accusing President Joe Biden of meddling in the elections while portraying himself as the savior of American democracy, Graham’s remarks reflect the general feeling among Republican supporters. Since there is a strong mistrust of mainstream media for their coverage of the events of January 6, conservative media has been pushing such accusations for the past three years.
In June, Trump said to his followers that he was “being indicted for you” and that he saw his two previous indictments as a “badge of honor.” Events leading up to the Iowa caucuses indicate that his approach is effective.
Biden’s introduction
In a general election, Trump might not receive a comparable concession. To bolster his candidature for reelection, Biden—who is dealing with low polling numbers and concerns about his age even from members of his base—is basing it on the idea that Trump and “MAGA Republican extremists” will seriously undermine democracy.
Given that Trump’s aggressive behavior and statements have alienated crucial swing state voters in past national elections, this technique could succeed in some situations. It’s unclear yet if Trump’s current advantage against Biden in battleground state surveys will be sufficient to win Biden a second term.
But there isn’t a single GOP supporter who would oppose Trump on this matter. Chris Christie is the only prominent contender who is publicly denouncing Trump as a danger to US ideals. In addition, Haley has been made fun of by the former governor of New Jersey for her euphemistic comments that it’s time to get beyond Trump’s “chaos” and drama.
How come? Governor, just what does that imply exactly? Why not express it? He is not the Voldemort of the Harry Potter novels,” Christie declared on November 30 in New Hampshire. However, outside of the Granite State, where independent voters play a particularly significant role in selecting party nominees, Christie is not very popular in the GOP.
Whether Trump secures the Republican nomination for a third time in a row will be determined by voters, not pollsters. Additionally, late-breaking revelations that might produce upsets have a history of occurring in both Iowa and New Hampshire.
But with time running out, there are still two unanswered concerns about Haley and DeSantis’ failure to address his mark on American history.
If you can’t utilize the most powerful political tool against the president, what good is it to go through the tiresome and sometimes embarrassing process of campaigning for office? And in the 2024 GOP contest, would the upcoming weeks demonstrate that Trump was unassailable from the start?