Donald Trump announced yet another bid for the White House in a fact-free speech given at Mar-a-Lago yesterday evening, during which he made over 20 false or misleading claims (by CNN’s count). So far, the response has been, shall we say, rather low energy.
The one-term, twice impeached, 76-year-old ex-president appeared freshly-infused with embalming fluid as he rambled for 60 uninspiring minutes about a host of issues, ranging from Joe Biden‘s cognitive abilities to the cost of Thanksgiving turkeys, before promising to “make America great and glorious again.”
Despite all the pomp and circumstance leading up to the “very big announcement,” as he billed it, nobody appears to be particularly energized by the whole thing.
Since inciting that deadly insurrection on January 6, 2021, Trump has become an increasingly divisive figure among Republicans. And after last week’s midterms didn’t produce the “red wave” they were hoping for, many among the GOP are now coming to the realization that he might actually be… a liability?
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Over the past week, Republican lawmakers, aides, operatives, and pundits alike have urged Trump to hold off from announcing a 2024 bid for the White House until they can at least stop some of the bleeding from last week.
Related: Ivanka Trump explains why she’s not joining her dad’s 2024 campaign
91-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch reportedly told him that his media empire–which includes conservative propaganda network Fox News, as well as Trump’s favorite newspaper, the New York Post–won’t back his renewed bid for the presidency, saying MAGA supporters have their hearts set on Florida governor Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis.
Meanwhile, major Trump donors have also started running for the hills. Blackstone co-founder and CEO Stephen Schwarzman just announced he won’t support the ex-president’s third bid for the White House, following in the footsteps of Citadel’s billionaire founder Ken Griffin, who said he’s dropping Trump for DeSantis, too.
Then there’s the response from Democrats and Independents, who were even less underwhelmed by Trump’s speech yesterday…
I really don't care. Do you?#ITMFA
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) November 16, 2022
Of course Donald Trump is running for president. How else is going to grift his fans to pay for all his legal bills?
— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) November 16, 2022
Indict the Motherfucker Already. #ITMFA pic.twitter.com/0E8h9jGIUC
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) November 16, 2022
Gen Z will NEVER let Donald Trump become President again.
— Jack Cocchiarella (@JDCocchiarella) November 16, 2022
81,282,916 Americans rejected Donald Trump in 2020.
We'll do it again in 2024.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) November 16, 2022
Democrats watching Donald Trump announce he’s running for President again knowing he’s going to spend the next two years hurting the Republican Party. #TrumpAnnouncement pic.twitter.com/ywa292Zmtq
— Austin (@AustinPlanet) November 16, 2022
Donald Trump has announced that he’s running for President again. Didn’t he try to overthrow the government last time he was President? Shouldn’t he be in prison? Asking for a nation that wants to remain a democracy.
— Dylan Smith (@dylanmsmitty) November 16, 2022
I wish Donald Trump the very best of luck with his bid to stay out of jail.
— Parody Rishi Sunak (@Parody_PM) November 16, 2022
It’s widely believed Trump will be indicted by the Justice Department either for stealing classified documents from the White House, or for plotting a failed coup during his final days in office, or possibly both, and that he’s using this 2024 bid for the presidency as a way to stave off prosecutors.
Before you go, here’s what Rosie O’Donnell, Trump’s #1 archenemy, had to say about the whole thing in a video posted to her TikTok page last night…
@rosie F OFF TRUMP #FOFFTRUMP
Related: Rosie O’Donnell gets the last laugh on TikTok following Donald Trump’s super crappy week
dbmcvey
He doesn’t WANT to run. He’s doing it to try to keep from getting prosecuted.
still_onthemark
It won’t work.
dbmcvey
@still_onthemark
I hope not, but there’s a reason he’s not already in prison.
bachy
I’d like to see him run independently – and split the conservative vote. He was never really a “Republican” anyway (whatever the hell that means anymore…).
Mr. Stadnick
He should have his own party. The very best party, people are saying his party is something.
Joshooeerr
Trump continues using the old Roy Cohn playbook, counter-suing to delay and confuse at every turn. Even faced with contempt of Congress, he’s counter-suing and claiming breach of executive privilege. It’s lame, but it goes on working, time after time. When he finally dies, there’ll still be a backlog of his counter-suits awaiting adjudication, right-thinking Americans will still be wondering “how does he go on getting away with it”, and the entire country will be left with the stinking legacy of the outlaw president who laughed in the faces of those who attempted retribution or justice. He will be a folk anti-hero who’ll haunt US politics forever, and most likely lead to the civil war of the totalitarian state that even now some feel could never happen in the USA. But just watch.
Tim44309
So well stated! Pathetically, sadly so true!
Jimmynj
Trump, his evil children and every single person who enabled him through the years deserve to rot in prison for years. I was hoping the FBI would arrest him the minute he made the announcement. He deserves the perp walk.