It’s not difficult to envision the daily routine of former US president Donald Trump when in residence at his Mar-a-Lago Club on Palm Beach Island in Florida. Head over to the nearby Trump International Golf Club, complete a round of golf, of which only he believes his score, retire to the clubhouse and continue to plot and scheme around what he refers to as ‘fixing of the rigged’ 2020 US Presidential elections. Trump has been simmering long enough; and is likely anxious to get the show on the road again.
Trump’s drive to regain the Oval Office in 2024 is akin to that of a rampaging bull elephant, absolutely nothing or no one will stop him. While his critics may openly be dismissive of Trump’s ambitions, no doubt behind closed doors, they acknowledge the stark reality of his possible return to the seat of power, as his supporters blindly and freely continue to contribute to his war chest.
The Washington Post has reported that as of July, these gullible ‘sheep’ have given US$75 million this year (post election it had collected $207.5 million in 2020 according to the New York Times) to Trump’s Save America leadership PAC to help finance the ongoing ballot review in Arizona and to push for similar efforts in other states. The newspaper added that people familiar with the finances stated that the group had not devoted any funds to such causes.
Events in the last few days have sounded alarm bells that the Trump Campaign for 2024 is gathering steam. His third press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, in an interview prior to the release of her tell-all book, I’ll Take Your Questions Now, last Tuesday, warned America that Trump will be all about revenge if he regains the White House, and his potential draconian policies will present a significant danger to American democracy. Those senators who voted for his impeachment will experience his wrath once he takes control of the Republican Party campaign machinery and he will move to have them ousted in the forthcoming midterm elections.
Last Friday night, comedian and satirist Bill Maher, under the caption of “Slow Moving Coup”, delved into the recently revealed East Wing Memo which the White House planned to use to overturn the 2020 election results by getting the election officials in seven states to throw out their results, and thus hand the win to Trump. The plan, which Trump had assumed the Republican officials in those states would have gone along with, obviously did not pan out, and he has focused his time and energy towards ‘fixing’ this problem. One of the methods being employed in this attack on American democracy is the passing of restrictive vote laws in Republican-led state legislatures where they, not non-partisan officials as currently is the case, will be in charge of certifying the election results.
Maher further noted that in the 15 key battleground states, only two of the Republican candidates running for Secretary of State have acknowledged that Biden won the 2020 election. He predicts that in a close election these projected Republican officials will acquiesce to Trump’s bullying and cower to his demands. With the Republicans favoured to win the midterm elections in 2022, and regain control of the House where disputed elections are decided, gives cause for extreme concern. This worry is further compounded by the fact that in 2020 the key states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan which all had Democratic Governors, who protected the vote, will be up for re-election in 2022, and Maher expects that at least two of them will lose. He paints a grim picture of possible anarchy, again, in Washington DC come 6th January, 2024, the day the election results get certified.
Last Saturday, for the first time since he lost the White House, Trump returned to Iowa, the state known for kick-starting campaigns for presidential candidates, to host one of his famous MAGA rallies. Naturally, Trump, who has never conceded election defeat, reiterated the claims that the elections were stolen while hinting at a possible run in 2024. Stoking the crowd into a frenzy, the former president boldly predicted the retaking of America by the GOP.
The most troubling news came last Friday when the Senate Committee investigating the insurrection of the Capitol on January 6th learnt of Trump’s attempted orders that the Department of Justice (DOJ) overturn the election results. Trump’s orders were met with the threatened mass resignations by the DOJ officials and also the resignation of Trump’s lawyers who viewed the entire scenario as a “murder-suicide” pact. The legal minds knew that this crazy scheme would blow up in their faces and would mean the end of their careers and even possibly jail time.
The stage is being set for a coup d’etat on democracy. Among other things, a second serving of Trump as president will also surely rip the bandages off the still raw wounds of racism that festered rampantly during his stint in the White House. Sadly, although Americans already know what to expect, nearly half the population is avidly looking forward to it.
