“Instead, he went on a rampage and reminded people of all of the things that they worry about with him.” “In New Hampshire, all he had to do was congratulate Haley and turn his attention to the general election,” David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama. To Trump critics, his recent meddling in Congress and the party committee only highlights the cult of personality he encourages and a demand for fidelity above all else. Her campaign has said she intends to compete through early March and continues to fundraise. 24 primary in South Carolina, where she once served as governor. Polls show Trump is likely to trounce Haley in the Feb. The former president has become more emboldened after last month’s victories in Iowa and New Hampshire that signaled he is virtually certain to win the nomination.
Read More: Trump’s Insults and Rants Mask a Ruthlessly Efficient Campaign Haley continuing to stay in the race “hurts the party and, in a way, hurts the country,” Trump told reporters Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, adding that he thinks her bid is “dying.” That gives Trump even more motivation to seal the nomination, with Haley continuing her White House bid to swoop in if he’s convicted. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll in January found that 53% of swing state voters wouldn’t support Trump if he were found guilty of a crime. Trump’s plays to tighten his grip on the GOP come the same week a federal appeals court denied him presidential immunity, increasing his legal jeopardy and the likelihood of a criminal trial before the election over his actions to reverse his loss four years ago. “He’d rather weaponize this issue than actually solve it.” “Donald Trump thinks it’s bad for him politically,” Biden said Tuesday of the immigration compromise. The GOP frontrunner’s gambit to defeat an immigration plan that Republicans themselves demanded gave Biden evidence to make the case that Trump would bring back the same kind of erratic behavior that defined his presidency. There are ample signs Trump’s latest moves could also have negative consequences for him.īiden has implored Americans to remember the “nightmare” of Trump’s presidency.
Trump was the first US president to be impeached twice, the second time after his followers stormed the Capitol in an effort to overturn his 2020 election loss. His attempts to project strength have often sowed chaos. Trump’s displays of raw power reflect his commandeering style honed over decades in real estate, reality television and the presidency, in which he pushed the boundaries of American politics to ensure the government reflected his personality and wishes. “If I were the presumptive leader of the party, I would want a good deal of input with what my party is doing in Congress.” “He is the de facto leader of the party,” said Mick Mulvaney, who served as Trump’s acting White House chief of staff. Those back-room dealings occurred as Trump pressured congressional Republicans to kill a bipartisan immigration deal, robbing President Joe Biden of a victory and preserving Trump’s ability to capitalize politically on the migrant influx at the US-Mexico border. Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign is pushing out the head of the Republican National Committee in favor of a new hand-picked ally and signaling to deep-pocketed donors that it’s time to unite behind Trump.