DONALD Trump’s return to the White House can be halted by only one thing – the establishment. One impediment was dramatically lifted yesterday when the US Supreme Court cleared him to run for President. The ruling means he will appear on the ballot in the Colorado primary on ‘Super Tuesday’ today and is expected to secure the Republican party nomination. It will set a precedent for other states, including Illinois and Maine, which also barred Mr Trump from primary ballots.
Nevertheless the former President is still subject to a litany of indictments, with federal charges spanning a wave of spurious claims against the man who was the leader of the free world until 2021.
Most recently, a judge in New York ordered Trump to pay a staggering $355million, accruing interest of more than $100,000 a day, in what can only be seen as an orchestrated assault on the frontrunner to win the 2024 Presidential Election.
Beyond alleged financial impropriety, Trump stands accused of racketeering in Georgia, with the extraordinary and ironic suggestion that alongside him, associates of the former President inside the White House formed a criminal enterprise.
The catalogue of accusations, lawsuits and hurdles levelled at the former President, all arms of an establishment strategy aimed at ensuring that he gets nowhere near the White House and that Joe Biden is reanointed for another four years, cannot be ignored.
On the face of it, the likelihood of Donald Trump being the Republican presidential candidate and ultimately becoming President again appears increasingly likely. His polling numbers seem to grow by the day as he outlines an alternative economic and military vision for the nation while Biden staggers from blunder to blunder.
However, mounting legal cases do pose challenges for Trump. Calls have come from the media and political establishment to expedite trials in what they claim is an effort to ensure the electorate have a full understanding of the case against the former President.
This would set an incredibly dangerous precedent – one which would establish an alliance between the courts and the Democratic establishment, suggesting that on the order of those in power legal cases can be rushed through to get the result they want in the shortest timeframe possible.
Should the establishment fail to put the brakes on Donald Trump’s campaign, the current dynamic of a contest between the current and former President is a foregone conclusion. Biden’s disastrous handling of the economy and foreign policy has alienated the American public, as have his increasingly worrying cognitive abilities.
The stark contrast in the offer to American voters was no more evident than last week when both Biden and Trump visited Texas border towns to set out their stalls on illegal immigration across the southern border. Amongst Americans, Trump’s hardline views and willingness to tackle illegal immigration give him a clear edge on Biden, who has presided over a record number of illegal immigrants crossing into America.
With almost half of Democratic voters favouring the option to find a replacement candidate for Biden, how would a replacement play out should the establishment fail in preventing Trump from running in a fair contest? Michele Obama looks in poll position to replace a dithering Biden who looks out of his depth, not just in a position of significant power but in any position requiring decision-making responsibilities.
Nonetheless, should Donald Trump survive the media and establishment onslaught, a situation in which he has historically proved successful, Republicans should feel confident in his ability to regain power. Neither Biden or Michelle Obama has the political nous, capital or campaigning prowess to fight off Trump if he is on the GOP ticket come November, and I fully expect we will see the former President returned to the Oval Office if the establishment fails in its efforts to knock him off course.