Donald Trump Thinks the Same Old Campaign from 2016 and 2020 Will Win in 2024. Good Luck on That: So you thought he would quit, stay on the sidelines, or give up by now. Maybe you just don’t know Donald Trump that well.
He has started his actual campaign since mostly sitting at Mar-a-Lago and licking his wounds after midterm elections in which many of his favorite candidates lost their bids. Trump is determined and as irascible as ever. The former president refuses to be tamed by prosecutors, courts, the media, and his opponents. But if you are looking for a smattering of new policies or different messages, forget it. Trump’s latest speeches were mostly made up of the same old enemies, complaints, conspiracies, tall tales, and grievances.
The Same Old Donald Trump
The weekend of Jan. 28 was a busy one for the former president. He swooped into the critical primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina in an effort to give supporters and campaign workers a jolt. He sent overtures to elected officials who will carry the water for him in the media. And he wanted to show the public that he has the same energy that carried him to victory in 2016.
The speeches were received with mixed reviews. In New Hampshire, he again trotted out the election denial that he is known for – claiming that the 2020 election was stolen by President Joe Biden and the Democrats. He said the same thing in South Carolina.
Then there was an unusual claim that when he was in the White House he reduced the national debt. This is laughable. The debt under Trump went up $7.8 trillion while he was in the White House. I can’t remember him talking about deficits and cutting spending during his presidency. The tax cut policies didn’t help bring in more revenue to balance the books either.
This wasn’t all of the surprising talk on stage. Like Don Quixote, Trump hates windmills. This hostility started when he sued the Scottish government for an offshore wind farm that blocked the view at one of his golf courses. Trump lost that contest in court and was ordered to pay $290,000 in legal fees to the defendants.
So, he was on the rampage against renewable energy from wind. “Let’s kill all the birds. Let’s destroy our planes and beautiful oceans and seas and everything else,” he said. It’s not clear how a windmill could wreck a plane, but that did not stop Trump from the windmill criticism. While he was haranguing against alternative energy, he blasted the use of electric vehicles too.
Fighting Cultural Marxism Will Be a Winner
But Trump did throw tastier red meat to supporters. This aspect of his rhetoric was a more traditional list of litanies against what some Republicans call “Cultural Marxism.” This made more sense and should be winning rhetoric for the MAGA adherents. He hates critical race theory and wants to keep transgender people from playing on sports teams that are different from their original gender.
Extolling the problems of Cultural Marxism is a winner with the conservative base – especially going against critical race theory. Donald Trump has competition on these efforts. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expert at fighting the culture wars. DeSantis is able to turn oratory against the left into concrete laws and policy.
This can-do action is something that movement conservatives adore about DeSantis. As a result, Trump has a nickname for the governor – “DeSanctimonious.”
Could He Help End the War in Ukraine?
Another interesting issue is that he promised to end the war in Ukraine by leading negotiations. It would be nice if someone could create an environment in which both sides would put down their arms, but Donald Trump gave no specifics on how he would accomplish that feat.
This is one reason that Donald Trump may need to expand his policy stances. If he wants to yoke the Democrats to big spending, he will have to figure out a way to avoid the appearance of hypocrisy. In foreign policy, he could say that no major wars were fought while he was president. He can talk about taking out ISIS, and he can extol the virtues of the Abraham Accords that worked to strengthen peace in the Middle East.
More: Should Joe Biden Quit?
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More: Nikki Haley for President? Nope.
But Donald Trump is not one to be encumbered with policy. Advisors are happy to let “Trump Be Trump.” It means more speeches that will be undisciplined grudge matches against his enemies, and of course the 2020 election claims. We will just have to wait for something new in his speeches as the campaign progresses.
Author Expertise and Experience: Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
Peter Locke
February 1, 2023 at 2:45 pm
President Trump, please get out of the way and support Gov DeSantis.
Forrest E Mueller
February 3, 2023 at 6:31 pm
Mr. Brent. I also am an Army Infantry Officer, retired: I served in the Vietnam war from 1966-1968. What you so conveniently omit is all of the exceptional accomplishments Trump made to our Country all the while being constantly attacked by uber liberal socialistic democrats, liars, cheats and thieves one and all. Here are some. The wall, the beginnings of immigration reform, the stay in Mexico policy, allowing ICE to immediately send illegals back to their country of origin, the Aberham Accords, crushing Isis, cruise mistle attack on Serian sites gassing the Kurds, no new wars, sanctions on China, Russia, Iran, and the threat of tariffs on Mexico; to name just a few. I don’t particularly like his style, or much of his rhetoric: rather I judge him by what he accomplishes under duress and the company he keeps. Compare the Trump Cabinet and the Biden ship of fools Cabinet and maybe you will understand why he is so feared by the swamp in Washington.
Justin Elliott
February 3, 2023 at 7:28 pm
Donald Trump will be president in 2024 and it will be a great 4 years.
jeff hodder
February 4, 2023 at 12:53 am
Mr. Mueller, I too served 3rd maw 67 to 73. Some people in today’s world do not look behind the reasons some get elected by false statements. IT is not just my opinion with double AA & EE, that corporate and representatives of the people go for DC and life on our dollars.
Yrjo E. Veltheim
February 4, 2023 at 4:26 pm
I’m not sure how Mr. Mueller got to be an officer as his spelling skills are somewhat suspect. Trump’s addition of $7.8 trillion to the national debt for no good reason (unless you call enriching his already rich friends a good reason) is a prime example of his ridiculously wasteful policies. His environmental record is a disaster and we are all fortunate he didn’t get a second shot at destroying the rest of the lakes, rivers and forests. I sincerely hope that narcissistic sociopath never gets another chance to further damage the country.
Greg Johnson
February 18, 2023 at 5:25 pm
18 US Code 2385 states that any person who plans, writes about, or recruits a group of people in an effort to overthrow the government, if convicted will be fined $20,000 and imprisoned up to 20 years. And the 14th Amendment Section 3.1 states that any person holding a government office who engages in an insurrection against the government can never hold a public office again. So while hundreds of the former president’s foot soldiers who enacted the capitol attack are facing prosecution and prison time, their commander is mounting another run for the presidency without even a slap on the wrist. What’s wrong with that picture?
Mason Yeaton
March 5, 2023 at 10:20 pm
The one reason I would like Trump elected is so he can pardon the jailed “insurrectionists”. You liberals have blinders on as evidenced by the fact that you cannot bring yourselves to admit Trump did anything worthwhile. I too do not like his blustery style. There is constant turmoil, and you never know what is going to be on the morning news; but he gets things done and the list given is correct regardless of what you may think.