Speaking from Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening Donald J. Trump made the announcement that he has been hinting at, and that we have been waiting for, since last summer.
As is typical of Mr. Trump, he has followed his own inclination, ignoring the appeals of Republicans who warn that his continued influence on the party is largely to blame for its weaker-than-expected showing in the midterm elections.
According to the New York Times, “His unusually early announcement was motivated in part by a calculation that a formal candidacy may help shield him from multiple investigations into his attempts to cling to power after his 2020 defeat.”
Speculation is also that by declaring his intentions this early he may be attempting to thin the ranks of Republican rivals seeking the nomination. As of now, there seem to be two leading contenders, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence. DeSantis’ runaway re-election victory last week astonished many inside the party. Mr. DeSantis was already the preferred presidential nominee among a sizable number of Republican donors and elected officials who have tired of Mr. Trump’s control, his continual controversies and his endless harping about 2020.
Trump has also been warned by Republican party leaders that announcing his candidacy at this juncture may jeopardize a win in the Georgia runoff election between Raphael Warnok and Hershel Walker. But the pleas from his fellow Republicans have been to no avail. The decision, came as votes were still being counted in congressional contests that will determine the balance of power in the House. Over the weekend, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told several people that he had visited Mr. Trump in Florida and asked that he delay the announcement.
Conservative news outlets, including Fox News and others belonging to the Murdoch empire, have turned against him. The New York Post mocked him on its cover last week as “Trumpty Dumpty,” a day after lionizing the much younger Mr. DeSantis as “DeFuture.” And a Wall Street Journal editorial on Monday denounced him as “the man most likely to produce a G.O.P. loss and total power for the progressive left.”
For many, the prospect of another four years of a chaotic Trump administration is a sobering thought. The nation is angry, fatigued and polarized, largely as a result of his previous tenure as president. It is no secret that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election not principally because he was a brilliant candidate, but largely because he promised a calmer and more dignified political climate in Washington D.C. That held a strong appeal for those who were tired of the non-stop drama that was the Trump White House.
The New York Times reports that the former president’s view is that a formal White House bid will strengthen his claims that the multiple state and federal investigations he faces are all politically motivated. Moreover, he hopes that a candidacy could give pause to prosecutors who may be considering criminal charges, particularly in connection with the Justice Department’s investigation into the highly sensitive documents that were discovered by the FBI at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
“With victory, we will again build the greatest economy ever,” he boasted. “It will take place quickly.”
