Leading up to the 2022 midterm vote, in which Biden’s Democrats had been expected to lose handily, Trump made denial of the 2020 election results a key litmus test for candidates to win his influential political endorsement.
But the predicted Republican “red wave” failed to materialise, and Democrats will maintain their control of the Senate. In the still-undecided House, Republicans seem likely to eke out only a razor-thin majority.
The results have emboldened Trump’s Republican detractors and sapped most of his political momentum heading into the Tuesday campaign launch.
“THREE STRIKES”
“It’s basically the third election in a row that Donald Trump has cost us the race, and it’s like, three strikes and you’re out,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a vocal Trump critic, Sunday on CNN.
Trump’s response has been to double down on unfounded claims of ballot rigging in the midterms, posting on his Truth Social platform that the results were a “scam” and pointing a finger of blame at Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
“It’s Mitch McConnell’s fault,” he posted, saying the Kentuckian had badly allocated campaign funds and pursued a flawed legislative agenda.
“He blew the midterms, and everyone despises him,” said Trump, who has long been at loggerheads with McConnell.
Tuesday’s announcement is widely seen as a way to take the wind out of the sails of potential Republican rivals, namely Ron DeSantis, the freshly-reelected Florida governor and rising star who has also won the backing of Rupert Murdoch’s conservative media empire.
Trump’s new White House pursuit will also be hampered by the multiple investigations into his conduct before, during and after the presidency, which could result in his disqualification.
Those include allegations of fraud by his family business, his role in the Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol and his handling of classified documents at his private Florida home, which was raided by the FBI in August.
But the former president is no stranger to scandal and has even survived two impeachments due to his continued Republican support in Congress.
The 2024 election could also prove to be a repeat of 2020, with Biden reaffirming on Wednesday that he intends to stand for re-election.
But despite the strong midterm results, some Democrats continue to call for Biden to sit out, due to his age and unpopularity. Biden, 80, said he will make a final decision next year.
For all the latest world News Click Here
