Former President Donald Trump is facing a lot of criticism from members of his own party. The real estate mogul was able to maintain a cult-like following in the Republican Party in the past six years.
However, his role in the midterm elections was a detriment to the GOP. Republicans lost crucial U.S. Senate races in Pennsylvania and Georgia.
The conservatives also failed to capture the governorship in Arizona and Pennsylvania. The candidates in these crucial races were close to Trump and the MAGA movement.
Critics of Mr. Trump are using the losses to get him out of the presidential race for 2024. He announced in November that he wants to get his old job back.
Many Republican Party insiders want to move forward and leave Trump behind. They are betting that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is the person best equipped to represent the party in 2024.
Recent polling has shown a dip in the support for Trump, while Mr. DeSantis is on the rise. However, it is not clear that the Florida politician will be able to maintain the same position when the campaign gets underway.
Moreover, Trump’s unique approach has made it really hard for opponents to compete. In 2016, he bested talents like Marco Rubio and Chris Christie with great ease. DeSantis has never faced attacks on that level.
Trump is facing a lot of challenges of his own making. He is still dealing with many legal issues. He recently had dinner with Kanye West and White supremacist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago.
After the Twitter revelations about Hunter Biden‘s laptop, Trump demanded that the Constitution be suspended so he could return to power. Opponents say that he has crossed a line, although he did try to walk back the statement.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) doubts Trump has a future in national politics. He stated: “Anyone seeking the presidency who thinks that the Constitution could somehow be suspended or not followed, it seems to me, would have a very hard time being sworn in as president of the United States.”
Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) went in the same direction and added: “This was another level or another realm in terms of things the former president has said. This one goes so far beyond the pale that if there is somebody who has aspirations to run, this sure teed it up for them.”
President Joe Biden has signaled on many occasions that he intends to run for reelection. His White House criticized Trump for the remark.
So far, DeSantis has avoided the matter.
