Trump’s journey so far has been mired in conflict. The first American to be impeached twice, and since leaving office, he has been battling lawsuit after lawsuit.
Donald Trump, quite unsurprisingly has won the Republican presidential nomination, marking a remarkable political rebound that is fuelled by sentiments of grievance and retribution. The Associated Press reported that Trump surpassed the delegate threshold required to become the GOP nominee, signalling his intent to spearhead a formidable challenge against President Joe Biden in what is projected to be a hard and expensive general election campaign.
In the event of his election, Trump’s agenda includes a range of policy objectives such as combating the “deep state”, tightening immigration controls, implementing protectionist trade measures, and redefining America’s global role.
Instead of his usual post-primary victory, he chose just to give a sombre video statement on social media, admitting that the right time to celebrate would be eight months after the elections.
Trump’s journey so far has been mired in conflict. The first American to be impeached twice, and since leaving office, he has been battling lawsuit after lawsuit. In November 2022, he announced his third presidential run, which was a result of the subpar performance of the Republicans in the midterm elections.
United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Trump’s own Vice President Mike Pence ran against him for the Republican nomination. Despite the criminal charges, voters flocked to the former president, while the competitors tried their best and eventually fizzled out of the race. The last remaining rival was Nikki Haley, who ended her campaign after Super Tuesday’s contest.
Biden, on the other hand, won enough delegates to secure his party’s nomination after a victory in the Georgia Democratic primary. His Democratic competitor, Dean Phillips, was out of the race due to a string of Super Tuesday victories that went to Biden. He delivered a State of the Union address to address the concerns regarding his age and laid out his stakes for the battle against Trump.
The credit for Trump’s victory goes to his campaign team. The legal woes that could have destroyed any politician’s career, turned out to be a boon for Trump, as it became his campaign’s tag and led supporters to buy into his claims of political persecution.
With Trump’s campaign meeting the criteria set forth by the Republican National Committee, he can now raise higher dollar amounts through joint fundraising agreements with the RNC. He also moved to gain control of the party operation by adding three allies, which included his daughter-in-law, to leadership roles.
Biden’s immigration policies, his age, and his memory have been under constant fire by Trump, even though there have been questions about his own mental state. He has also been urging Biden for a debate, despite skipping debates against his opponents.
While Trump leads in the polls, the road to the White House is filled with hurdles. His rhetoric and campaign have been considered dangerous and the leaders on Wall Street and foreign capitals seem to be put off due to this.
Trump’s comments such as letting Russia do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO member states and his appeal being higher among Black people due to criminal indictments have drawn fire from the liberals and democrats. He has also publicly rooted for a stock market crash during Biden’s presidency.
As the 2024 election gathers momentum, the stage is set for a close battle for the soul of the nation. Both Trump and Biden have low approval ratings among the public, which will make this the most expensive election campaign, as they will have to spend billions to persuade the voters.