“Tonight, tonight, the world is wild and bright, going mad, shooting sparks into space.” — West Side Story
Donald Trump is announcing his third presidential run tonight in prime time, so I guess that means he’s ready for his closeup, Mr. DeMille. Who knows?
What is known is that he took to Truth Social yesterday and ballyhooed his Tuesday night announcement as, “Hopefully TODAY will turn out to be one of the most important days in the history of our Country!” Speculation has run rampant, particularly amongst his QAnon Qritter followers: Will Trump announce his candidacy? Announce the impending Storm? Announce he’ll be Speaker of the House? All three? The only question I want answered is, has he seen this?
2024 Texas Republican Primary:
DeSantis 43% (+11)
Trump 32%
Pence 5%
Haley 4%
T. Scott 1%
Pompeo 1%
.
Without Trump:
DeSantis 66%
Pence 8%
Haley 5%
Pompeo 3%
T. Scott 2%.@CWS_Research/@TexasGOP, 1,099 LV, 11/12-13https://t.co/Z88cErpRyp
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) November 14, 2022
Whoaaa, there! Hold yer horses!
The Conservative Club For Growth was scarcely known as a Trumpian buzzkill but that was then and this is now.
The anti-tax organization, which was once a staunch Trump ally but over the last year has broken with him, on Monday provided POLITICO with a polling memo showing the former president trailing DeSantis by double digits in one-on-one matchups in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states on the GOP nominating calendar. The surveys also show DeSantis leading Trump by wide margins in Florida, their shared home state, and Georgia, which is holding a Dec. 6 runoff for one of its Senate seats.
“Republicans need to be united behind a strong candidate and a platform that shows voters real solutions to beat Biden and the Democrats in 2024. Our polling shows that Republican primary voters recognize Trump’s insults against Republicans as hollow and counterproductive, and it’s taking a significant toll on his support,” Club for Growth president David McIntosh said in a statement.
The polling, McIntosh added, suggested that Trump “could help Republicans” by delaying his expected Tuesday announcement that he’s running for president until after the Georgia runoff. […]
According to the polling memo, which is based on survey data conducted Nov. 11-13, DeSantis leads Trump by 11 percentage points in Iowa and by 15 points in New Hampshire. Those numbers represent an improvement for DeSantis since August, when previous Club for Growth’s polling found Trump with a 15-point lead in Iowa, while the two were tied in New Hampshire.
The memo also says that DeSantis leads Trump by 26 points in Florida and 20 points in Georgia. In August, DeSantis led Trump by 7 percent in Florida and 6 percent in Georgia. The polls, conducted by Republican firm WPA Intelligence, surveyed likely GOP voters.
The release of the memo represents the latest twist in a complicated relationship between the Club for Growth and Trump. After savaging Trump during the 2016 campaign, the conservative group became an ally during his White House tenure. McIntosh was an informal adviser to Trump following his 2020 election loss, with the Club for Growth leader helping to shape the former president’s endorsements in key midterm races.
It doesn’t help that Trump told the Club’s president, David McIntosh, in a text, “Go fuck yourself.”
Trump believes that he can turn back the hands of time. He overcame all opposition in 2015. He believes he can do so again. Trump also believes he can destroy Ron DeSantis with ease. “I think if he runs he could hurt himself very badly,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal. “I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering. I know more about him than anybody other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign.”
And look at it this way. Even if DeSantis was able to get the nomination from Trump, which is very likely, do you think that Trump will go gently into that dark, post-politics night? No way in Hell. If the GOP trashes him, he’ll trash the GOP. You may depend upon it.
Meanwhile, for a few minutes tonight, all eyes will be on Mar-a-Lago and Trump. Just as he wants. Remember this, from Sunset Boulevard?
Joe Gillis: “I didn’t argue with her. You don’t yell at a sleepwalker. He may fall and break his neck. That’s it. She was sleepwalking along the heights of a lost career. Plain crazy when it came to that one subject, her celluloid self. The great Norma Desmond.”
Norma Desmond went from the murder house to the mad house and Trump may go to the poor house or to the house of many doors or both. But he’s not going back to the White House. If I had to bet tonight, I would bet Ron DeSantis will see the White House long before Trump sees it again.
… and may Ron De-asshole NEVER see the White House!!!!
At least not without being on a tour…
DeSatan may see the nomination, but no way he’s ever occupying the White House. Floriduh may have reelected him, but outside of the RW news bubble, no one knows who he is or cares. And once his record in Floriduh is examined, if the MSM ever decide to do their damn job, he’ll be as popular as Pence.
TFG is going to tear down what’s left of the GOP/GQP once he realizes no one wants him, and announcing your candidacy is not a get out of jail free card. Which means 2024 ought to be a hell of a lot easier for the Democrats to build on their numbers. Thank God for Gen Z and single women.
By not taking the advice of other Pubs to delay his announcement for the good of the party, that tells you everything you need to know about his motives, party be damned.
I can see Trump-O the Assclown starting a write in campaign should DeathSatan win the nomination…..low overhead and he can go full steam ahead with fleecing his mental pygmie rubes for every cent they have.
Don’t give him any ideas!
I believe that when Traitor Tot started out he never really wanted to be elected, it was just a way to grift! The only reason he tried to get a second term was to stay out of prison!! If he tries to run again, it will be both to grift, and to try to stay out of prison!!!
Nonya, your belief is spot on. Trumpler’s first run was a self-admitted “World’s Biggest Marketing Campaign,” intended to make his brand worldwide and rake in the cash. I think the 2nd run was indeed a shield from prosecution but mainly to rake in still more cash. Lawyers, even the shitty ones who will work for him, cost money, even if he doesn’t pay them what they bill. Run #3 will again suck up money but mainly it will, he believes, keep all those nasty Witch Hunters from his door. I’m not so sure.
THAT is the big test for the Judicial system – will they proceed regardless of his status in the next months or defer to his standing as a “candidate for president” – which is entirely the reason for this situation. He KNOWS he is about to be indicted & this is all he has left !
Any news program airing former guy’s announcement needs to lose all of their viewers.