Kurt Schlichter: Count Out Trump at Your Peril

Since its low energy announcement a few months ago, the 2024 Donald Trump presidential campaign has been a non-stop clusterfark of dinner dates with neo-Nazis, cavorting with the Conservative, Inc., likes of Lindsey Graham, disappointing fundraising, relitigating the 2020 election, and generating lame nicknames for a rival who is right on his Gucci’s heels. His fans have found it a festival in cognitive dissonance. Please excuse Trump’s photos of Paul Ryan being endorsed by him as a kind of 4-D chess, or cunning ploy. “keep his enemies closer.” Many conservatives are sharing their appreciation for what he did on social media. They also wish that his aging father would retire. His behavior recently, which included a steady stream of semi-coherent Truth Social declarations indicates that there is no such thing. “New Trump,” It is unlikely that anyone who hasn’t paid attention in the past nearly eight years would expect a reimagining by this almost 80-year-old icon.

Yet, it is absurd to think that he will be out by 2024.

After all, he is Donald Trump, and the thing about Donald Trump – beyond the bluster and baloney and endless drama – is that he is often right when everyone else is wrong, and he often wins after everyone counts him out.

It doesn’t always work.

It may not be the same every time.

It may not be in 2024, whether primary or general.

But a lot. His 2016 election was a Black Swan, and he is now the Orange Swan in American politics.

The Atlantic recently ran an article that announced that the vast majority of activist Republicans are terrified of Trump dooming the party in 2024 and want him gone, certain he cannot win again. But like all leftists, they have no idea what Republicans actually think because the only Republicans they ever met were sharing the green room for Jake Tapper’s show. It might be true in DC, but out in the real world he’s got fans. But that does not necessarily mean that Trump will get his fans’ votes if someone else looks more likely to win.

Republicans have legitimate concerns about Trump winning the general election 2024. Trump has the lowest ceiling in American politics. Many people hate him. He needs to win in places like AP, GA, AZ, MI and WI, and he didn’t do it last time. He doesn’t seem to have a plan for this time. He’s less about draining the swamp today than accommodating it. His minions have just helped Ronna McDaniel get reinstalled in the RNC, so that the Republican campaign can swim with a lead life saver. And what’s his obsession with Lindsey Graham? 

Maybe the Democrats will help by nominating a corrupt, desiccated, senile old pervert, but then the last time they did the corrupt, desiccated, senile old pervert got the keys to the Oval Office and Trump got a half-dozen local yokel DAs – as well as the feds – trying to blast the few remaining norms in American politics to shreds by indicting him over nonsense. TRUMP! TRAITOR! TREASON! classified document fake outrage that they hoped to impale him is less outrageous as the FBI discovers ever more Top Secret documents in ever more of Joe Biden’s figurative orifices.

The Republicans are not as mad as Trump is about inviting lunatics to lunch, and they don’t hate him for it. They love Trump, even though he drives some people crazy. Between the absurdity of being held loyally by competitors, he can also be funny and incisive, such as his recent Hugh Hewitt interview showed. He’s like your crazy uncle who you hide the Jack Daniels from when he comes to visit but offers you one of his kidneys when you need it. They are grateful for the sacrifices he made to save the nation. You can argue with the crappy COVID response and his many, many ridiculous personnel blunders, and with his constant self-sabotage because he can’t keep his mouth shut or his fingers off his phone’s keyboard, but you cannot argue that he did not stop the left cold. Dobbs is a blessing for those who hate abortion. Brett Kavanaugh would have been the only person who had the iron will to stand by him. Many Republicans would have wet their pants. Trump didn’t drink and he held the line.

Republicans aren’t anti-Trump. What they are really doing is speculating about whether he is the right person at the moment. Both are very different. The base despises the likes of George Bush and Mitt Romney – who return the favor. They loved Trump’s office and voted for him in 2020. The vast majority of GOP voters would back Trump if they knew he could win again in 2024.

But they aren’t sure. And complicating things for Trump is that Florida governor who keeps doing based things while not getting into stupid urinary competitions with third tier Hollywood dweebs like Rosie O’Donnell. There are so many factors to take into consideration, which is exactly why there is a primary. What the GOP voters do not want – what they will not tolerate – is a bunch of people in the regime media (or even conservatism) telling them what to do. They are free to decide for themselves. And they may choose to Make the Nomination Trump’s Again.

The primary polls currently show mixed results, which means that the primary polls can’t be used unless they show Trump and DeSantis at different times. That Trump is not outright crushing DeSantis – who is not yet running and is ignoring Trump’s jibes even as he pummels the left in the Sunshine State – means this will be a real race.

It’s a two-man race. It’s two giants fighting it out surrounded by ankle nibblers. Trump is King Kong DeSantis is Godzilla. Everyone else is a support Kaiju. Nikki Haley is, I dunno, RodanRodan, it would be an establishment squish.

Mike Pompeo may be Mothra. Larry Hogan is without doubt the Smog Monster. Asa Hutchinson is just one example. Two men running through central Tokyo Who gets smushed.

The result? “Destroy All Monsters” (which also includes a Godzilla-based scene Fireworks at the UN Building) that will be the 2024 GOP primary has only just begun, and with some good candidates entering the race soon – as well as Nikki Haley – the primary will play itself out. Trump faces tough primaries/caucuses both in New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina. But his careful maneuvers to win South Carolina may give him the edge. But there is one thing for certain – if Donald Trump does win the GOP primary, I am voting for him and so will the vast majority of you. But will he be able to win the general election of 2024? You’re right to be concerned – very concerned. As he attempts to cheat political death, he would have to overcome all odds. But if you think that’s impossible, you might want to get a second opinion from ex-President Felonia Milhous von Pantsuit.

Trump is your own worst enemy, especially if you are supporting someone else.

Follow Kurt via Twitter @KurtSchlichter. Get InfernoThe seventh book of the Kelly Turnbull Series is titled. People’s Republic A series of conservative action novels that are set in America after a hypothetical national divorce. We’ll Be Back: The Fall and Rise of America.

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