Trump’s appeal has to be taken seriously
THE question of whether or not Donald Trump should be allowed to run again depends on whether he was in breach of Article 2, Section IV of the American Constitution whilst in Office (2016-20), which states that “the President, VicePresident and all civil officers of the US shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours”.
To the extent that, as things stand, Trump is innocent until proved guilty, he should be allowed to run. It is then a matter for the Republican Party to decide whether they wish to select him as their candidate for President, and then for the US electorate to decide in the 2024 election.
It is clear, however, the Republican Party are divided over his candidacy, in view of the strong showing of Ron DeSantis, who has similar positions to Trump, in Florida. It may be better for the Republicans to put Trump on the ticket with DeSantis as Vice-President, especially in view of Trump’s age. DeSantis is only 44 years old and would be the youngest President for the Republicans, if he succeeds Trump, since Theodore Roosevelt, who succeeded to the Presidency in 1901 following McKinley’s assassination.
Roosevelt was President from
1901 to 1908. Roosevelt stood down in 1908 as he thought that to seek a full second term was against the US Constitution, then fell out with the Republican Party establishment under Taft’s presidency over the lack of progress of reforms to business, ran as an Independent National Progressive candidate in the 1912 Election, pushed Taft into third place, split the Republican Party, and allowed the Democrat Woodrow Wilson to become President.
The danger for the Republicans is that Trump could achieve a similar effect if he is not selected by the party, and runs as an Independent. After all, he still has a strong electoral base of support who would support him, and this could be sufficient to give Biden or his successor a second term in the White House. To avoid this scenario, it may be better to unite around DeSantis and Trump, especially as policy differences do not appear to be insurmountable.
Trump is not so attached to the Republican Party that he could not launch a viable candidacy as an Independent, especially if the Democrats are seen to be failing on the economy due to high inflation and over-spending which puts the dollar under pressure in the run-up to 2024.
Jeremy Comerford Chippenham, Wiltshire