While Trump’s shadow continues to loom over the Republican candidates and overshadow their election program, there is widespread understanding that the former president remains key to the party’s victory in the primaries.
In 2016, there was a media storm that changed the American political scene. Seven years later, in 2023 to be precise, Donald Trump is again monopolizing the attention of the world press.
This time, not only because of his controversial tenure as president, but also because of the ongoing criminal and civil trials as well as his controversial intention to return and compete in the 2024 presidential election.
The former president continues to be a magnet for the media and a reference in political discussions within the Republican Party.
In a remote interview with Scott Lucas, professor of American Politics at the University of Birmingham, he brought up Trump’s memorable remarks during the 2016 election campaign.
Lucas points out that there are actually few Americans who will support the former president no matter what the circumstances.
Trump’s assertions of his innocence and accusations of being the victim of a media witch hunt have resonated among his followers. Instead of abandoning him, his supporters became more committed to his cause.
But Greg Swenson, president of the organization ‘Republicans Abroad in the United Kingdom’, warned that although Trumpists remain aligned with the MAGA project (Make America Great Again), the possibility of a criminal conviction or simply an indictment has eroded his standing in the broader Republican spectrum.
“In the primary process, this obviously helped him, but the trial and the charges may have hurt him more than helped him in the general election. He also distracts from other candidates,” Swenson said.
“In Wednesday night’s debate in Wisconsin, six of the eight Republican candidates said: ‘Listen, even if he’s proven guilty, I support him for president.’ “And the political calculation for almost all candidates is that if you say that Trump should not be in office, you will lose your chance of getting Trump votes. And that’s a phenomenon that’s been happening in the Republican Party since Trump became president in 2016,” said the professor highlighting the role of the media in perpetuating Trump’s dominance in the political narrative.
Trump and his indomitable media domination
Lucas argues that the continued media attention to Trump “creates a feedback loop.”
“What happened is the media gave Trump their entire attention. If only the media actually leveled the playing field in terms of coverage of the candidates and their issues, instead of treating this like a circus with Donald Trump as the host, then you could have a true democratic process rather than one where the media effectively supports Trump’s efforts to put himself up as the Republican candidate,” Lucas said.
Neither Trump nor Biden in 2024
Despite Trump’s continued influence in the Republican primaries, there is a growing sentiment in the country that warrants caution.
ADVERTISEMENTTrump’s shadow, although long, has not stopped large numbers of Americans from yearning for drastic change. Swenson highlighted that three-quarters of American voters want to avoid a repeat of the race between Trump and Biden. This figure includes both Republicans and Democrats, indicating the high demand for new faces and perspectives in politics.
Swenson speculated that even within the Republican Party, if President Biden does not run, many may consider it time to step down. The possibility of running against a younger, fresher Democratic candidate could affect the dynamics of the Republican Party. This reflects a shift in the national mood toward a search for new political alternatives and a desire to move away from the polarization that characterized the Trump era.
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