Donald Trump has been taken to court twice, tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after losing the 2020 presidential election and faces scores of charges in multiple criminal cases. Yet, Donald Trump could still return to the White House.
Trump leads in front of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination by nearly 40 percent, a remarkable comeback for a one-term president who three years ago appeared defeated and humiliated.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in the criminal cases against him and is also moving closer to clinching the Republican nomination, after a win on January 15th in Iowa, the first Republican nominating state. That led one of his few remaining rivals, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, to quit the race, leaving just former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, to battle Trump.
Here are a few reasons why Trump could win the November 2024 election against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden:
The Biden White House argues the economy is stable, with unemployment down to a near-historic low of 3.7% from 6.3% when Trump left office and inflation decreasing from over 9% in June 2022 to 3.4% in December.
A large part of the public believes otherwise. They say that wages are not keeping pace with the costs of essential goods and services such as groceries, cars, houses, child and elder care.
Opinion polls show that voter view Republicans as better for the economy, even though Trump has offered only small proposals.
There is a sense of losing the life-style most popular in America - home ownership, a decent wage that keeps pace with inflation, and a college education are becoming more out of reach for many.
In addition, many voters are worried about crime and nervous about the flow of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
Critics within his own party, the Democratic Party and the media see him as unfit for office, but millions of voters disagree.
Instead, many of his supporters have become convinced that Trump is a victim of a political witch hunt. At least half of Republicans said they would have no problem voting for Trump even if he were convicted of a crime.
Trump can also take advantage of a White House that, so far, has been unable to persuade much of the public that Biden’s job-creation policies have made a difference to their lives.
Biden also has been involved in a couple of foreign wars that have divided Americans. Trump’s non-interventionist, "America first" message may resonate with voters fearful of further U.S. involvement in Ukraine or Israel while Biden maintains a more traditional, interventionist American foreign policy.
As Trump's comeback looms, it's vital to consider the reasons behind it: economic discontent, perceptions of victimhood, and exploiting weaknesses in the current office.