Trump Reminds Republicans He’s Not Going Away
The former president will swing the loyalty of his hard-core base like a cudgel against party elders who are considering abandoning him.
Where’s the spotlight?
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Donald Trump told the world on Tuesday night that he plans to ask voters for a second stay in the White House in 2024 even as the embers from his last one continue to glow.
It would matter, of course, if Trump managed to seize the powers of the US presidency again. But in terms of gauging the influence he wields inside the Republican Party after a midterm election in which voters rejected most of the rodeo clowns he endorsed, his press conference was just performance art. I suspect he engineered his prime-time gala for one main reason: He wants the GOP and the public to know he isn’t going away. And he’ll try to devour any Republican who gets in his way.