Donald Trump oficializó su candidatura a la presidencia de EEUU para las elecciones de 2024 / Donald Trump, who tried to overturn Biden’s legitimate election, launches 2024 bid

Después de haber insinuado durante meses sus intenciones y en medio de una gran expectativa por el “anuncio importante” que iba a hacer este martes, el ex mandatario republicano lo confirmó desde Mar-a-Lago, acompañado de su esposa Melania y de un grupo numeroso de invitados

El ex presidente de Estados Unidos Donald Trump anunció este martes desde Florida su intención de competir en la elecciones de 2024 para volver a la Casa Blanca y devolver, según dijo, “la gloria a un país en decadencia e invadido por millones de personas de otros lugares”.

Después de haber insinuado durante meses sus intenciones y en medio de una gran expectativa por el “anuncio importante” que iba a hacer este martes, el ex presidente republicano lo confirmó desde Mar-a-Lago, su mansión y club privado en Palm Beach (sureste de Florida), acompañado de su esposa Melania y de un grupo numeroso de invitados.

El ex presidente de Estados Unidos Donald Trump anunció este martes desde Florida su intención de competir en la elecciones de 2024 para volver a la Casa Blanca y devolver, según dijo, “la gloria a un país en decadencia e invadido por millones de personas de otros lugares”.

Después de haber insinuado durante meses sus intenciones y en medio de una gran expectativa por el “anuncio importante” que iba a hacer este martes, el ex presidente republicano lo confirmó desde Mar-a-Lago, su mansión y club privado en Palm Beach (sureste de Florida), acompañado de su esposa Melania y de un grupo numeroso de invitados.

El anuncio se produce apenas una semana después de un decepcionante resultado para los republicanos en las elecciones de medio mandato, y obligará a su partido a decidir si adopta a un candidato cuya negativa a aceptar la derrota en 2020 llevó a la democracia estadounidense al borde del abismo.

“Estoy anunciando esta noche mi candidatura a la presidencia de Estados Unidos”, dijo Trump ante una audiencia de varios cientos de simpatizantes y prensa reunida en un salón de baile con candelabros en su club Mar-a-Lago, donde estaba flanqueado por más de 30 banderas estadounidenses y pancartas en las que se leía: “¡Hagamos grande a Estados Unidos otra vez!”

Trump entra en la carrera presidencial en un momento de vulnerabilidad política. Tenía previsto lanzar su campaña tras las elecciones de mitad de mandato, que esperaba estuvieran llenas de victorias de candidatos que él mismo encumbró durante las primarias de este año. En cambio, muchos de esos candidatos perdieron, lo que permitió a los demócratas quedarse con el control del Senado y dejó al Partido Republicano en camino hacia una escasa mayoría en la Cámara de Representantes.

Lejos de ser el líder indiscutible del partido, Trump se enfrenta ahora a las críticas de algunos de sus propios aliados, que dicen que es hora de que los republicanos miren hacia el futuro, siendo el gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, uno de los aspirantes favoritos de su partido a la Casa Blanca.

Esta será su tercera campaña por la nominación presidencial, pues fue candidato en las elecciones del año 2000, por el Partido Reformista, y como republicano en las de 2016, en las que resultó ganador, y 2020, en las que perdió frente a Joseph Biden.

Al igual que su candidatura, su paso por la Casa Blanca también estuvo marcado por la polémica y un estilo de hacer política al que le han salido imitadores entre la ultraderecha de todo el mundo.

Precisamente una de las primeras medidas que adoptó nada más instalarse en el Despacho Oval fue cumplir con una de sus promesas y prohibió la entrada a ciudadanos de siete países de mayoría musulmana hasta saber qué “intenciones” tienen y poco después despidió al director del FBI, James Comey.

Aquel cese repentino fue visto por el fiscal especial, Robert Mueller, en un posterior informe como una forma de posible obstrucción de una investigación por supuesta colusión entre la campaña de Trump de 2016 y Rusia para perjudicar a la que fue su rival demócrata, Hillary Clinton.

Sus años al frente de la Casa Blanca también serán recordados por relativizar los peligros de la pandemia y lograr colocar a tres jueces conservadores en el Tribunal Supremo, desnivelando la balanza en favor de los republicanos y fijando las que serán las políticas estadounidenses durante las próximas décadas.

Pero si por algo pasará a la historia Trump es por ser el tercer presidente de Estados Unidos en enfrentarse a un juicio político y el primero en tener que lidiar con dos. Uno por presionar a las autoridades ucranianas para que investigaran a uno de los hijos de Biden, Hunter, para perjudicarle en plena campaña y el otro por el papel que habría jugado en el asalto al Capitolio cuando pidió a sus seguidores que acudieran hasta allí para detener el recuento electoral.

(Con información de The Associated Press)

Donald Trump, who tried to overturn Biden’s legitimate election, launches 2024 bid

Donald Trump, who tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election and inspired a deadly riot at the Capitol in a desperate attempt to keep himself in power, announced he is running again for president in 2024.

“I am announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump, 76, said flanked by massive American flags, at his Mar-a-Lago club and home in Palm Beach, Fla.

The announcement — and official filing — comes just a week after the 2022 midterm elections, which saw a lackluster performance from Trump-backed Republican candidates in key Senate races and competitive House elections. As a result, Democrats were able to retain control of the Senate.

“America’s comeback starts right now,” Trump said, claiming, “Your country is being destroyed before your eyes.”

The dark vision hearkened back to Trump’s inauguration speech of a country suffering “American carnage” and in need of him to fix it.

Trump running sets up a potential rematch against President Joe Biden, who will turn 80 on Sunday and says he intends to run for reelection in 2024.

Exit polls showed inflation to be the top issue with midterm election voters overall. They said they trusted Republicans more on the issue than Democrats by a wide margin. And the electorate was nearly three-quarters white, reversing a decades-long trend of a decline in white voters as a share of the midterm electorate.

And yet, Republicans underachieved — and fingers are being pointed in Trump’s direction, even from within his own party.

Anger over the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal in this country, buoyed Democrats in these elections. But voters also sent a message that they didn’t want extremes, rejecting Trump candidates up and down the ballot, who peddled his baseless election lies.

Republicans lost in competitive Senate races in purple states, like Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Arizona and Nevada. Democrats could further expand their majority with a runoff election three weeks from now in Georgia, with yet another Trump endorsee, who has struggled mightily.

For the House, Republicans are on the precipice of control, but by a far smaller majority than they were hoping for, likely hampering their ability to pass legislation next year.

Of the 64 House race contests the Cook Political Report rated as toss ups or leaning toward one party or the other, Trump endorsed in 21. Only seven have won. It was even worse for Trump candidates in the most competitive races. Of the three dozen toss-up races, Trump backed nine candidates. Only one has won.

And yet, Trump is launching another run for president and falsely claiming his candidates did well, despite the evidence that his brand and his style of politics have proven radioactive in competitive states and districts for multiple election cycles in a row now.

Trump’s move shows a degree of vulnerability — an effort to freeze out the GOP presidential field and force Republican elected officials to get off the sidelines and endorse him.

He also doesn’t want to give any oxygen to any potential rivals, who may be sensing a chance, especially someone like Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

What about “DeFuture”?

Many in the party have begun to openly question whether it’s a good idea to continue to hitch their wagon to the former president, especially with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waiting in the wings.

DeSantis easily won reelection as Florida’s governor last week. He’s a staunch conservative and landed in controversy for flying migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard and other liberal cities and enclaves, is widely seen as a more disciplined version of Trump.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post, which turned on Trump during the Jan. 6 congressional committee hearings’ revelations, dubbed DeSantis “DeFuture” — and Trump “Trumpty Dumpty,” who “couldn’t build a wall” and “had a great fall.”

The message was clear — it’s time for someone else.

But Trump’s hold on the GOP base can’t be underestimated. There have been other moments when the “fever” might break, but never has — not with criticizing the late-Republican Sen. John McCain’s status as a war hero, not the Access Hollywood tape in which he bragged about assaulting women, not the two dozen women who accused him of sexual misconduct or assault, not even the Jan. 6 insurrection.

But this latest setback may be threatening the thing Republican officials care about most — winning.

Their resolve will be tested, as the party is in for a reckoning over the next two years.

Trump seems uncowed and ready for the fight

He recently nicknamed DeSantis Ron “DeSanctimonious” and touted polling, prior to Election Day, that he said showed him well ahead in a hypothetical GOP presidential primary.

He has taken to his own social media platform — which he formed when he was booted from mainstream platforms like Twitter and Facebook for spreading misinformation and inciting the insurrection — to blast the naysayers, the media and to spread unfounded election conspiracies.

Expect more of the same from candidate Trump once again.

But it’s hard for his party to escape the reality that Trump’s brand simply hasn’t played well in purple states from the beginning of his time on the national stage, especially now that they’ve suffered because of it.

He may have won the presidential election in 2016, but several swing states were very close, and he wound up losing the popular vote by 3 million votes.

In the 2018 midterms, his party lost 40 House seats and control of the chamber.

After four years of his presidency that saw majorities of voters disapproving of the job he was doing consistently and mishandling the coronavirus pandemic, Trump lost his reelection bid in 2020.

Several swing states were close, but he lost the popular vote by an even wider 7 million votes.

Instead of conceding, and with no other off ramp to explain away his loss, Trump retrenched and cried fraud.

After recounts, audits and dozens of court cases, Biden’s election was upheld, over and over again. Yet Trump continued on with lies and inspired rank-and-file Republicans to turn toward dangerous conspiracies that have eroded their faith in the electoral system.

Courts have proven the 2020 election was fair and that there was very little fraud, certainly not enough to overturn the results anywhere.

Despite that, Trump made his false narrative of a stolen election something of a litmus test for those he would endorse in these midterms. They bought in, were boosted in primaries and many lost in the general election, giving seats to Democrats that might have been won by non-election-denying Republicans.

Broadly unpopular — except with the Republican base

A majority of Americans continue to say they have an unfavorable opinion of the former president. But, at least before the midterm elections, he was by far the most popular and powerful figure within the Republican Party.

He continues to be the favorite for the GOP presidential nomination despite recent losses. It will take a lot to defeat him — time, money and fighting against, yes, the GOP establishment in many ways. The Republican National Committee and many state parties are now filled now with Trump acolytes.

Trump’s grip on the party had seemed to be loosening — at least marginally — this past summer because of the Jan. 6 hearings and just sheer time and distance removed from power. But the FBI’s search of Trump’s Florida home ironically seemed to tighten his grip, as GOP base voters saw Trump as a victim.

And the former president has perpetually used victimhood, especially white victimhood and grievance, as fuel to his political fire.

There are plenty of others waiting in the wings

It’s not just DeSantis who could challenge Trump for the nomination. And it’s unclear if DeSantis will. He’s only 44 years old and will likely tread carefully to not upset the base of loyal — and he perhaps hopes formerly loyal — supporters of Trump.

A Trump vs. Biden rematch?
Trump’s announcement comes as Biden is facing several political challenges. Biden’s popularity has suffered, as inflation has continued to rise, gas prices went up and variants of the coronavirus pandemic have continued to pop up.

The president’s approval ratings took a dive in the summer and fall of 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, initiated under the Trump administration, was widely panned for its chaotic execution under Biden.

While Trump faltered against Biden largely because he lost significant backing from the large swath of suburban and independent voters across the country, he retains significant support among Republican voters.

Biden, on the other hand, has struggled to keep his base fired up. In this age of extreme polarization, maintaining popularity with a president’s own party and winning over the narrow slice of remaining swing voters in the country is the pathway to election. DOMENICO MONTANARO