"Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who also served as First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff and press secretary, said she is “starting to believe” Trump will run for reelection in 2024, though she didn’t at first.
“I am terrified of him running for president in 2024,” Grisham said. “I don’t think he is fit for the job.”
“I want to just warn people that once he takes office, if he were to win, he doesn't have to worry about reelection anymore. He will be about revenge. He will probably have some pretty draconian policies that go on.
(Marina Pitofsky. “Ex-White House press secretary warns Trump 'will be about revenge' if reelected.” USA TODAY. October 04, 2021.)
Based on her experience, Stephanie Grisham, the author of the book I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House (October 5, 2021), has alleged that Trump and his aides fostered a culture of lying during their time in the White House. Grisham is warning that, if former President Donald Trump is reelected to a second term, “he will be about revenge.”
Grisham actually admitted that that by serving the Trump White House, she helped enable a "culture of casual dishonesty.” She said, “I think that many of us, myself included, got into that White House and got heady with power and became really … we didn't think about serving the country anymore. It was about surviving in there, and he loved it. He loved the chaos.”
“I’ve reflected on
that, and I regret that, and especially now watching him, and so many
people push the false election narrative, I now want to, in whatever
way I can, educate the public about the behaviors within the White
House because it does look like he’s going to try to run in 2024,”
said Grisham.
He's Back (He Really Never Went Away)
COVID-19 variants, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, political and social division – indeed, these are dark times. I fear the days of the near future may be much darker. To me, the nightmare of Donald Trump being reelected president is a real possibility. God have mercy if the man known as the Narcissist-In-Chief is given a second term.
Unless your name is Rip Van Winkle, you understand that Trump winning in 2016 was a serious wound to the America. His unfit demeanor, his lies, and his criminal behaviors pushed followers to a governmental coup. By clinging to power in 2020 and falsely claiming election fraud, Trump effectively poured salt into that wound. One would think his past actions would warrant, at the least, preventing him from holding government office. For a myriad of missteps, many believe he should be in jail.
Can you believe it? A new poll shows former President Trump’s favorability among Iowans is now higher than it ever was while he was president. The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows 53% of Iowans now view him favorably, compared to a 45% unfavorable view. Another 2% are unsure.
The poll shows a majority of Republicans in Iowa, 91%, view Trump favorably. That’s compared to just 7% who view him unfavorably, and 2% who are not sure.
(Brianne Pfannenstiel. “Donald Trump’s favorability ratings are his highest in any Iowa Poll: 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.'” Des Moines Register. October 04, 2021.)
I have resigned myself to the facts. Yes, I believe Trump's reelection is still possible, if not probable. Yes, I think he will run, and chances are pretty good he may be in the White House once more.
Now, this means turning out attention ahead. We must consider that Trump losing in 2024 and trying to steal the election would be even more catastrophic than his antics during a first term. Moreover, I agree with David A. Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic: if Trump won a straightforward victory – a very real possibility – the result could be a mortal injury to our government.
(David A. Graham. “America Is Not Ready for Trump’s Second Term.” The Atlantic. October 13, 2021.)
First of All, He Runs
Many people think Trump will not actually run in 2024. However, let's look at that perspective carefully. He has already done everything except declare his candidacy officially. Graham points out he is “flirting with an announcement in public statements” and Trump, himself, has suggested he'll wait to announce his decision after the 2022 midterms.
Add to that, a large majority of Republican voters say they want Trump to run for re-election, according to surveys this fall. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted Oct. 15-18 found Trump has an 86 percent favorable rating and just a 10 percent unfavorable rating among Republican adults. And he already dominates early polls of the 2024 Republican primary. A Morning Consult/Politico survey from Oct. 8-11 found that 47 percent of Republican voters would vote for Trump; no other candidate was above 13 percent.
(Nathaniel Rakich and Mackenzie Wilkes. “A Majority Of Republican Voters Actively Want Trump To Run For President Again.” FiveThirtyEight. ABC News. October 22, 2021.)
A large group of Republicans are eyeing running in the 2024 race, but several have said they won’t run if Trump runs. It's evident prominent Republicans who distanced themselves from Trump in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot have changed their tune.
Take Nikki Haley, the first female governor of South Carolina (2011-2017) and one of the Republicans who had criticized Trump. Haley had even tipped for a future GOP presidential run. Now she says she wouldn't run in 2024 if Trump decides to go for reelection, after previously saying he would be "judged harshly by history."
(Thomas Colson. “Nikki Haley backs Trump for 2024 run after previously saying he would be 'judged harshly by history.'” Business Insider. April 13, 2021.)
Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who sharply castigated Trump after January 6, has since said he would “absolutely” back Trump if he’s the Republican nominee.
And, what about the fact that President Biden's approval rating has and the intensely polarized environment makes it hard for him to claw back favor once lost? Most worryingly for Democrats, Biden has lost favor with independent voters. Incumbency doesn’t seem to be quite the boost it once was; both Trump and Barack Obama saw their vote share slip as they ran for second terms. Graham says, “Besides, given the tight margins in several states, Trump wouldn’t need to gain much on Biden to beat him in a rematch.”
(David A. Graham. “America Is Not Ready for Trump’s Second Term.” The Atlantic. October 13, 2021.)
Then, The Horror Of Another Term
In this Trump reelection nightmare, the monster would be reborn and re-energized as he sought terrible revenge on those he deemed had contributed to what he called a “witch hunt.” And, of course, he would have help exacting the toll – likely unified Republican control of the House and Senate. He would also have a conservative majority on the Supreme Court – and the real possibility of naming Justice Stephen Breyer’s replacement.
How It All Could Happen
Paul Waldman, author and reporter covering politics for The Washington Post, writes that the events of the last few months have increased the likelihood that Trump could survey the landscape and decide that he could waltz right back into the White House if he wanted.
According to Waldman, it's not because Trump would get more Americans to vote for him; barring some kind of unforeseen catastrophe. “But because his party has so aggressively worked to twist and corrupt the U.S. electoral system, he could clearly lose both the popular and electoral votes and still become president again, says Waldman.
Waldman writes, here's how it happens …
Step one: Trump decides to run, and obliterates the primary field.
No opponent remotely like they could defeat Trump in a presidential primary.
Step two: Republican voter suppression measures have an impact.
The wave of new voter-suppression laws at the state level contain direct attacks on local elected officials, meant to intimidate them with threats of prosecution and enable GOP-controlled state legislatures to seize power from them. It’s entirely possible that we’ll see power struggles in state after state where local officials trying to administer fair and free elections are usurped by legislatures loyal to Trump who manage to to put a thumb — or a whole hand — on the scale in his favor.
Step three: GOP state legislatures step in.
There could be a number of states where the Democratic candidate (Joe Biden, if he seeks reelection, or someone else) wins the majority of the vote, and the Republicans who find that outcome unacceptable simply refuse to approve it. This almost happened in 2020; you might remember how Trump summoned Pennsylvania legislators to the White House to have a conversation about their state’s votes. But in the end, his bidding was not done.
Step four: Republicans in the House of Representatives take control.
If there were conflicts in Congress over which slates of electors to count, there are multiple ways you could have a major constitutional breakdown. While there are competing theories about what might happen, if in the end the election were thrown to the House of Representatives, the Constitution says each state delegation would get just one vote.
Republicans control more state delegations than Democrats. And Trump would then become the 47th president of the United States.
(Paul Waldman. “Opinion: This is how Donald Trump becomes president again.” The Washington Post. May 19, 2021.)
Trump is a president birthed and molded by the Republican Party. He is still widedly supported by this party, Evangelists, right-wing groups like the Proud Boys, QAnon and Patriot Party conspirators, and others blindly striking out at the institutions and long-held ideals of American democracy.
These supporters can become fanatic in their zeal for a narcissist they call the “chosen one.” This was evidenced by the Capitol riot of January 6 and by the open display of paraphernalia like huge banners flown from their homes proclaiming: “Fuck Biden and Fuck You For Voting For Him.”
Recent surveys show around 7 in 10 Republicans still believe that President Biden didn’t legitimately defeat Trump last November. After all the investigation and evidence to the contrary, that statistic alone is shocking. The “Big Lie” is deeply entrenched in GOP circles.
Trump has proven his racist, misogynistic, and autocratic ways, yet most of his followers do not stop supporting him. He is a dangerous threat to democracy, but some people want to tear down the government. One supporter put it like this:
“I really am at the point of letting the whole thing burn down and explode. Trump would help us get there faster and more efficiently. Like the Joker from The Dark Knight, I just want to see the world burn … Once it’s all burnt down maybe we can have that constitutional convention we really need to fix things and get this country back on track if it still exists.”
(Conner Friedersdorf. “How Trump Supporters Feel Now.” The Atlantic. January 26, 2021.)
Mary Shelley wrote the famous Gothic novel Frankenstein in 1818 about Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who births a human-like creation in an unorthodox scientific experiment. The creation becomes a murderous monster that ravishes the countryside and seeks revenge for the state of its existence. The book gives support for the themes (1) that egotism – motive for Dr. Frankenstein's hideous creation-- is dangerous and destructive and (2) that responsibility and acccountability for one's creations is vital.
When Trump delivered his inaugural speech on January 20, 2017, he promised an end to “American carnage,” painting a bleak picture of a divided, dysfunctional nation he had insisted that he alone could fix. Then, closing out his presidency exactly four years later, Trump left behind an even more polarized America, where thousands are dying daily from the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy is badly damaged and political violence has surged.
The ironic parallel between the Gothic novel Frankenstein and a Trump second go-around is evident. The misguided MD giving a second life to its monster is surely the GOP, and the vindictive monster is Donald Trump, himself. One wonders what this sequel – a tale of a 21st century Prometheus Unbound – would do to America. I shudder to think.
“It was on a dreary night of November, that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.
“How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!—Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion, and straight black lips.”
(Mary Shelley. Frankenstein. Volume I, Chapter IV. 1818.)
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