By JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — Donald Trump, who had a tumultuous time as president and changed the Republican Party, will lead the GOP again in the next presidential election after securing the nomination on Tuesday.
Trump reached the required 1,215 delegates with victories in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington state. He will officially accept the nomination at the Republican National Convention in July, and by then, he might be both a presidential candidate and a convicted criminal. He is facing charges in four separate criminal investigations, with the first trial related to payments made to a porn actress set to begin on March 25 in New York City. Trump’s victory in the GOP primary will most likely lead to a very negative general election campaign, intensifying the nation’s already sharp political and cultural divides. He will compete against President in the fall, setting up a rematch of the 2020 campaign that
few voters want Joe Biden to happen again. A February poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs showed that 38% of Americans viewed Trump somewhat favorably, compared to 41% for Biden. Trump is aiming for a return to the White House after undermining democratic norms in the U.S. He spent months refusing to accept his loss to Biden in 2020 and promoted baseless conspiracy theories of election fraud, leading up to the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
It was only after the insurrection that
Trump acknowledged the truth
that Biden would become president. Since then, he has praised Jan. 6 as “a beautiful day” and supported those who were imprisoned for their actions, many for assaulting police officers, calling them “hostages” and demanding their release. During his 2024 campaign, Trump has been uncertain about other basic democratic ideals. He has not committed to accepting the results of this year’s election and, in a December interview on Fox News, hinted that he would be a dictator
from the first day of a new administration. He has aligned himself with autocratic leaders of other countries, particularly Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. These alliances differ from the U.S.’s traditional stance of supporting democracies abroad. However, a Trump presidency could change U.S. support for Ukraine after its invasion by Russia and have significant impacts on NATO. During his time in the White House, Trump often criticized the transatlantic alliance as outdated and expressed sorrow that some countries weren't spending enough on their own defense. He has continued to make that criticism this year, causing controversy on both sides of the Atlantic in February when he told a rally crowd that he once cautioned members that he would not only refuse to defend countries that were 'delinquent,' but also 'would encourage' Russia 'to do whatever the hell they want' to them.
once warned members
that he would not only refuse to defend countries that were “delinquent,” but that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to them. Legal trouble Trump becomes the GOP’s standard-bearer at a time of significant legal trouble, raising the personal stakes of an election that could determine whether he faces the possibility of time behind bars. He faces 91 felony charges in cases that range from the New York hush money case to his efforts to overturn the election and his hoarding of classified documents.
legal trouble
, raising the personal stakes of an election that could determine whether he faces the prospect of time behind bars the prospect of time behind bars. He faces 91 felony charges in cases that spread from the New York hush money case to his efforts to overturn the election and his hoarding of classified documents. While the New York case is moving forward this month, there’s significant uncertainty about the trajectory of the other, more serious cases, raising the prospect that they may not be decided until after the election.The Republican Party’s rules for its convention do not address
what might happen if the presumptive nominee is convicted of a crime. A conviction wouldn’t bar Trump from continuing to run, though a felon has never been a major party nominee or won the White House.
If he were to win in November, Trump could appoint an attorney general who would dismiss the federal charges he faces, a remarkable possibility that would undermine the Justice Department’s traditional independence from the White House. In addition to the criminal cases, Trump owes in excess of $500 million in fines and interest after a judge in New York ruled he had engaged in a scheme to inflate his net worth to obtain favorable financing. He was ordered to pay
$355 million
, plus interest, in that case — adding to the $88.3 millionhe already owed writer E. Jean Carroll after he was found liable of defamation and sexual abuse Trump, so far, has deftly used the legal cases as a rallying cry, portraying them as a plot hatched by Democrats to keep him out of power. That argument proved powerful among GOP primary voters, with whom Trump remains a deeply popular figure. He now enters the general election phase of the campaign in a competitive position, with voters frustrated by the current state of the economy after years of sharp inflation, despite robust growth and low unemployment, as well as growing concern about the influx of migrants across the southern border. As he did with success in 2016, Trump is seizing on immigration this year, deploying increasingly heated and inflammatory rhetoric in ways that often animate his supporters..
The 77-year-old Trump is aided by Biden’s perceived weaknesses. The 81-year-old president is widely disliked, with strong reservations among voters in both parties about his age and ability to assume the presidency for another four years, though he is not much older than Trump.
Biden is also struggling to replicate the coalition that propelled him into the presidency four years ago as some in his party, particularly younger voters and those on the left, have criticized his handling of Israel’s war against Hamas.
Challenges for Trump
Although these factors may work in Trump’s favor, he is encountering strong challenges in gaining support beyond his base. A significant portion of GOP primary voters supported his opponents, including Nikki Haley, who
terminated her campaign
after the Super Tuesday races but has not endorsed Trump. Many of those voters have shown uncertainty about supporting him. He will need to address this if he hopes to win the states that are likely to determine the election, such as Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — all of which he lost in 2020. It is still not clear how Trump’s legal cases will impact the general election, especially among suburban voters, women and independents. Trump’s involvement in appointing the judges who reversed the constitutional right to an abortion could be a problem in swing states, where women and independent voters have significant influence. He has also made a series of racist remarks, including a claim that his criminal charges helped his support
among Black Americans, which are unlikely to win over more moderate voters. Nevertheless, Trump’s quick path to the nomination demonstrates more than a year of effort by his team to persuade states to adopt favorable delegate-selection rules, including advocating for winner-take-all contests that prevent second-place finishers from accumulating delegates. This aided in Trump becoming the presumptive nominee much earlier than in recent presidential elections. Biden did not secure enough delegates to formally become his party’s leader until June 2020. During his 2016 campaign, Trump acquired the necessary delegates by May.
This year, Trump easily defeated his Republican primary rivals, winning in the early voting states that typically set the tone for the campaign. The field included a variety of prominent Republicans such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Haley, his former U.N. ambassador, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Mike Pence, who was Trump’s vice president. quiet work At one point, DeSantis was leading ahead of Trump in early state polls. However, he faltered in the national spotlight, failing to meet the high expectations, despite
$168 million in campaign and outside spending
. DeSantis exited the race after losing Iowa — a state he had focused his campaign on — and endorsed Trump.
In the end, Haley was Trump’s final contender. She only won the District of Columbia and Vermont before ending her campaign. Donald Trump will lead the GOP in a third consecutive presidential election after securing the nomination Tuesday.. DeSantis dropped out of the race after losing Iowa — a state he had staked his campaign on — and endorsed Trump.
In the end, Haley was Trump’s last challenger. She only won the District of Columbia and Vermont before ending her campaign.
