‘Make America Great Again’ may sound familiar. The outcry was heard again yesterday when Donald Trump announced his intention to run for president again. US expert Tom van de Einde says it’s surprising he doesn’t have a new story.
“He didn’t reinvent himself,” says van de End. Trump’s announcement wasn’t just for the podium: “He really wants to be president again. He lost to Joe Biden and doesn’t want to go down in the history books as a 1-term president.”
Legal investigations
Trump announced his presidential candidacy last night at his Florida summer home, Mar-a-Lago. According to Van ‘t Eind, an important reason for Trump to announce his participation in the election now is the dozens of legal investigations against him: “It makes him a cornerstone.”
By standing as a candidate, the former president hopes to prevent or significantly raise the bar against a criminal case against him. An American expert says it is impossible to say whether he will win. “The Justice Minister has been investigating for months, and maybe there’s more to it than we know.”
Watch Donald Trump’s announcement here
Ron DeSantis
Another reason Trump, 76, is running for president again is Ron DeSantis, 44. Trump sees a real challenger in Florida’s popular governor. Van ‘de Einde says DeSantis won the governorship in 2018 thanks to Trump and was re-elected last week. “He looks like Trump, but he is the light-edition.”
“Republicans hope DeSantis is a little more manageable so moderate Americans can support him.” But that doesn’t mean he’s softer than Trump, the US expert insists. “DeSantis is a real one A hardliner: He was against the Corona measures, enforced the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law and banned many books in schools.”
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Condition under pressure
Van ‘t Eind thinks Trump’s position as the undisputed leader of the Republican Party is under pressure. “Last night I also thought the clapping was choreographed. It started out really crazy, but got less. I found it really striking.”
Van’t Eindt thinks Trump must first come up with a new narrative if he is to have a chance at the presidency again. “He is coming back with an election that was allegedly stolen while he was there Middle AgesPunished just before the elections by a section of his fanatical supporters.”
again and again
He says it’s still unclear whether DeSantis and Trump will run against each other in the Republican primaries. But it’s too early to write off the former president entirely for the popular governor of Florida: “Trump has been written off many times and then always managed to rise like a phoenix from the ashes.”
“In 2016, after the ‘grab the pussy’ scandal, everyone thought Trump’s candidacy was over. And people thought so when he proposed an entry ban on Muslims,” Van’t Eindt looks back. “Many incidents have happened and he is coming back.”
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Trump has little to fear
But where politicians within the Republican Party have been supportive of Trump, this time is different. “If you’re not behind Trump, cut yourself off. Republicans now see that they don’t need him,” the US expert said, referring to last week’s midterm election results.
“That movement is happening now for the first time, but it’s low,” he continues. “People are still afraid the 2020 presidential election isn’t rigged, even though they know it’s bullshit.”
‘I defeated him’
Should Trump ultimately win the Republican nomination, who will run against him in the Democratic Party? President Biden has indicated he wants to run for a second term, but Van ‘de Einde says it’s not official yet.
“That too Not finishedsoon Middle AgesIt’s not over,” he explains. More than a week after the midterm elections, votes are still being counted and all the winners are still unknown. “But Biden says: ‘I’m the one who beat Trump.’ “
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Chance for Republicans?
Will Republicans Win Against an Incumbent in 2024? “Absolutely”, thinks the American intellectual. “But they have to come up with a candidate that’s acceptable to moderate voters. People who vote Republican one time and Democrat the other, you’ve got to win them over.”
The election is only 2 years away, but Trump’s announcement looks like the whole circus will begin again. Aren’t Americans tired of this? They’re used to it, says Van’de Eende. “There’s more at stake now. You saw it, for example, in the polls medieval, It was a feat.”