President’s re-election camPaign starts here
HE MAY not have officially announced it but yesterday Donald Trump kicked off his 2020 re-election campaign.
With a divided nation now governed by a divided Congress, the President is gearing up for two years of partisan warfare with the Democrats.
Voters handed Democrats the House of Representatives and put a brake on Mr Trump who until now has enjoyed control of both chambers of Congress. He will either have to compromise or, more likely, blame Democrats for the gridlock in Washington.
Mr Trump can take comfort from gaining two seats in the Senate, where he retains control, so he can carry on confirming conservative judges. This is shaping up to be one of his key legacies.
Losing the House will energise his Democratic opponents who see it as a springboard to kicking him out of the White House in 2020. They now control powerful investigative House committees and will launch a battery of inquiries into the President.
They are likely to demand his tax returns and investigate whether or not he and his family are enriching themselves off the Presidency. They are also likely to look into his hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, the ex-porn star who claims to have had an affair with him, and the firing of ex-FBI director James Comey.
If they find wrongdoing they can impeach Mr Trump but the Senate will be his jury and it will never convict him so long as it is controlled by the Republicans.
A divided Congress did not stop Republicans impeaching Bill Clinton, but it actually boosted his poll numbers, a history lesson Democrats should consider.
Mr Trump also faces an even bigger threat from the Special Counsel investigation into possible collusion by his campaign with Russia. A big announcement is thought to be pending.
For a man who thrives on conflict the President has begun the biggest fight of his life.