Trump endorses primary rival to Republican who voted to impeach

Former United States president Donald Trump has signalled that he will seek revenge on fellow Republicans who voted to impeach him last month, and he followed through on Friday by endorsing an exaide against an Ohio congressman.

Trump threw his “complete and total” support behind Max Miller, a 2020 deputy campaign manager and White House adviser, who is challenging Representative Anthony Gonzalez, one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the deadly Jan 6 riot at the US Capitol.

“Max Miller is a wonderful person who did a great job at the White House and will be a fantastic congressman,” Trump said. “Current Representative Anthony Gonzalez should not be representing the people of the 16th district because he does not represent their interests or their hearts.”

It is believed to be the first endorsement Trump has offered to a challenger of one of the Republicans who voted for his ouster.

“I will never back down and will never betray my constituents,” Miller, 32, said in a tweet highlighting Trump’s endorsement.

Trump was impeached on Jan 13, but was acquitted one month later by the Senate. He said he aimed to play a role in Republican efforts to win back the House in 2022.

The XC40 Recharge T5 is priced at RM241,997.04 (on-the-road, without insurance) with the sales tax exemption until June 30, after which it will revert to RM255,888.

It is available for viewing at all authorised Volvo dealers nationwide as well as online booking through Volvo Car Malaysia’s website.

THE DRIVE

There’s no other way to say it but the XC40 Recharge T5 is just so much fun to drive. The SUV zips in, out and about traffic, which is quite surprising for its size.

Other than the mild revving during acceleration, the driving sensation was akin to gliding through the air.

It might be an over-exaggeration but it could be hard to tell whether the engine was on or off at times.

This is not to be mistaken with the SUV being weightless or small. The XC40 Recharge T5 very much carries the Volvo DNA of being road sturdy with ample interior space for the driver and passengers.

However, the car’s performance setup gave it an effortless manoeuvrability. At no time did it feel like it suffered in responsiveness or was bulky in the back.

And it was for these reasons that the 180kph speed limit was necessary. The SUV’s acceleration was so punchy and smooth that the transition to high speeds could easily catch the driver off guard.

It was truly assuring to know that the SUV’s safety features would ensure the driver doesn’t feel overwhelmed. As Volvo had mentioned previously, most modern day safety features would fail to work effectively once a vehicle went beyond 180kph.

Again, it is probably just me but this writer loves how Volvo ma its driver’s view ergonomics work. The SUV isn’t that huge but it certainly isn’t small, too. And yet the driver can get a good gauge of things in front and around, allowing him to make more informed driving decisions.

VERDICT

If Volvo ever gives the impression its cars are just tough and heavy on the road, then this SUV will certainly change your mind.

Gone are the days when driving a Volvo means you are in a street tank. I am surprised to find myself

like punchy, zippy, and dynamic to describe the XC40 Recharge T5.

Does the Recharge update take away anything from the original XC40? Not at all. Does it help the company achieve its ambition of reducing carbon emissions per car by 40 per cent? I hope so.

But it does give you a glimpse of what Volvo’s future holds when it comes to electric and hybrids. Performance is not compromised.

If the XC40 Recharge T5 is the start of things to come then we can expect a lot more exciting drives from the brand in the future.