Former President Donald Trump is his own worst enemy. As he grapples with his latest problem — the ongoing fraud case in New York that threatens to strip a significant chunk of real estate holdings off his business empire — the former commander-in-chief continues to be largely unpopular with the general population of voters.
According to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight, 55.7% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the former president. And while he continues to hold a significant lead over other GOP presidential hopefuls, many say that, contrary to claims by Trump and his campaign, the Republican nominee for the 2024 election is hardly a foregone conclusion.
Trump’s Truth Social feed is no better, and is filled with rants and rage against his perceived opponents, especially the personalities involved in his New York fraud case. For example, Trump has taken to calling New York Attorney General Letitia James “racist” despite her being Black, for example — on top of the “Peekaboo” moniker he has given her.
His campaign has also set its sights on former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who has been slowly gaining steam following the second Republican primary debate. Trump has taken to calling her “Birdbrain,” a name his staff complemented with the creepy stunt of leaving a bird cage and birdseed outside her hotel room.
Then there are his multiple legal cases. With little hope that his trial dates next year will be changed to accommodate the campaign and election seasons, Trump could be carrying as many as two sets of felony convictions and two prison sentences by the time the Republican primary happens — with more possible convictions on the way.
The only thing really going for Trump right now is that Americans don’t like President Joe Biden either. They do not view with favor the prospect of another four years of a Biden administration, which would be headed by an octogenarian in obviously frail health. They do not want more Bidenomics. Biden’s unpopularity level with Trump’s — FiveThirtyEight puts it at an average of 55.0%.
But with the Biden-Harris campaign already seriously looking at the next election as another Trump vs. Biden race, the GOP would be served well by an alternative candidate. That would throw a wrench into the Democrats’ strategy, which hinges on the simplistic premise that “Trump is bad.” With the president’s age cited as a worry not only for Republicans — note that Trump is only three years younger than Biden — but even for a significant number of Democrats, a younger, more articulate, and more well-spoken GOP presidential nominee could entice more moderate and centrist Americans to vote Republican next year. Not to mention the fact that other candidates — like South Carolina Senator Tim Scott or Nikki Haley, for example — would not be saddled with all the legal baggage Trump brings to the table.
In the same way that Texas Senator Ted Cruz and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin are afraid of the “danger” of the prospect of a last-minute run for the presidency by former First Lady Michelle Obama, Democrats shouldn’t be complacent about Trump being the Republican presidential nominee next year. Democrats have yet to explore any real alternative to Biden-Harris. (Michelle Obama has repeatedly said she has no interest in politics.) The GOP, meanwhile, has a number of candidates who are younger, hungrier, and experienced, and who ostensibly better represent the values the Republican Party stands for.
Tim Ramos has written for various publications, corporations, and organizations – covering everything from finance, politics, travel, entertainment, and sports – in Asia and the U.S. for more than 10 years.
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