Former President Donald Trump remains a political force – more so than any commander-in-chief in modern history to be voted out of office.
In fact, one would have to go all the way back to the days of Theodore Roosevelt, who was the last former president to mount a campaign to return to the White House.
Though he lost in 1912 to Woodrow Wilson, in “Teddy’s” case, he had left the presidency and wasn’t voted out of office.
Moreover, only Grover Cleveland has the distinction of losing re-election, mounting a comeback, and then successfully returning to the White House.
That is why Joe Biden is the 46th president, but actually is the 45th person to hold the office as Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th.
Trump certainly has set his sights on becoming the 47th president, but some in the Republican Party’s governing body are apparently already expressing doubts about his ability to successfully defeat Joe Biden in 2024.
There are already calls for a competitive primary season next year to produce a stronger nominee than simply anointing Donald Trump as the candidate to put forth.
According to The New York Times on Thursday, the 168 members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) are now gathering in Southern California to select their own leader.
Based on interviews this week with 59 of them — more than one-third of the committee’s membership — few are eager to crown Donald Trump their nominee for a third time.
Many of Trump’s policies and accomplishments as president are still praised by the RNC, yet many express deep concerns about his age.
Donald Trump will be 78 when he takes office in 2025; but also his temperament. His constant barrage of insults, odd comments on social media, and repeated lies are baggage the party doesn’t want to deal with.
The bigger issue for the RNC is simply Trump’s ability to win.
Time to Strike
Joe Biden’s approval currently sits between 41 and 44 percent (depending on the poll), while it averaged just 41 percent in his second year in office according to Gallup.
The majority of Americans now approve of the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents, which aren’t likely to help poll numbers.
Moreover, the economy does appear to be slowing, and a recession could be on the horizon.
In other words, Biden looks weak enough that he’ll have to mount a strong campaign to keep his job. He’s also facing questions about his age, while his handling of the border crisis and even the pullout of Afghanistan will be issues he’ll face in the 2024 campaign. Biden could be defeated by the right Republican – and the RNC appears to question if Donald Trump is actually the right man for the job.
It is true, however, that MAGA loyalists have come to dominate the party apparatus; a point former RNC Chair Michael Steele told Politico.com last month, noting, “If you look at state party organizations, it’s the MAGA strain of Republicanism that’s become dominant.”
Yet, the cracks are appearing. Trump’s support is waning – noted as a few prominent Texas Republicans are ready to refuse to support him, while some are even willing to cross him publicly. This is a noted shift, as Trump once had a deep pool of loyal allies in the Lone Star State.
It isn’t just Texas either.
Republicans across the country want to win back the White House and are beginning to see that Donald Trump isn’t the person to get them there.
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
