Trump's Path to Victory in 2016 is NOT the Path to Victory in 2024
Could Donald Trump be mud-slinging his way out of a General Election victory?
Order a bag of Freedom First Coffee using discount code JEFF.
Donald J Trump is the greatest president of my lifetime. For all the crap that was thrown at him over the last several years since he started running for president back in 2015, he’s turned out to be more of a conservative than any Republican President that’s come before him, as far as I can see.
This is why I’ve endorsed Donald Trump for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States of America.
Obviously, everybody and their mom has gotten into the race as a Republican: Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Larry Elder, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Francis X Suarez and Donald J Trump. And I can only anticipate more getting in the race.
The matchup right now is Donald Trump vs Ron DeSantis vs everybody else. In my humble opinion, outside of Trump and DeSantis, nobody else has a serious chance. It’s just an opportunity for them to build up their public image and earn a paycheck of almost half a million dollars from campaign donations.
I don’t trust Ron DeSantis. Period. Would I rather have him as POTUS over Joe Biden? Duh. But could I bring myself to vote for him over Trump? Absolutely not.
The real question, for me, is not whether Trump can win the GOP Nomination. The reality is that the more the DOJ goes after him, the more sure I am that he’ll win that in a landslide. It’s whether he’s too toxic to win a General Election. Take election fraud out of the equation… can Trump bring over some Democrats and most Independents in the General?
The problem I’m seeing, is the mud-slinging that Trump is participating in when it comes to his attacks on DeSantis. Now, the die-hard Trump supporter is going to say that this is just how he campaigns… it worked in 2016, so why change things up? Well, let me explain why this could make him so toxic that he mud-slings his way right out of the presidency…
The reason it was a brilliant move by Donald Trump in 2015 and 2016 to hurl the insults and name-call was because Trump was the underdog. Nobody thought he could actually win. So he was taking out the establishment politicians with labels and insults that put doubts in people’s minds about whether those candidates could be trustworthy as POTUS.
Basically, Trump was punching up. You always want to punch up. Everyone loves an underdog. It’s why the Rocky movies are still loved today. It’s why I absolutely hate the Lakers and the Yankees. It’s why Gonzaga has a cult following once March Madness hits. It’s why there’s no good movies about the favorite winning… it’s almost always an underdog story that people love.
So Trump punching up at Lyin’ Ted, Little Marco, Low Energy Jeb and Crooked Hillary was his path to the presidency in 2016. He also brilliantly combined the personal insults with his policy positions, which is what united the party around him after the difficult primary campaign.
Fast-forward to today and we see that Trump is ramping up his rhetoric to even higher levels than his first campaign, which I believe is the wrong move. Donald Trump is the favorite to win, not the underdog. The public perception is that he’s punching down… or, in other words, the school yard bully. That’s a bad look to anyone outside of his MAGA base.
The question I keep getting from everyday Republicans off the street is, “Why is Trump attacking DeSantis? He’s ruining the guy’s chances of ever becoming president, even in future elections.” To most people, DeSantis holds almost all the same policies as Trump, he’s just not as toxic and divisive as the Big Guy. That’s why this feud is so confusing to so many.
Trump is already toxic, most of which is no fault of his own. The establishment politicians and the Mainstream Fake News Media, combined with the Deep State Intelligence Agencies, have made sure of that. Many Americans are sick of the drama. And, as we saw during the Recall Election of Gavin Newsom out here in California, many Democrats and Independents who were going to vote to recall Newsom ended up voting for him because they were terrified of Larry Elder, whom they believed to be a mini-Trump.
Trump is toxic. To win the 2024 General Election, we have to understand that and work to overcome that perception. If he continues as-is, I don’t see how he gets moderate Dems and Independents to come over to vote for him in the general.
That doesn’t mean that I’m calling for Donald Trump to change his personality. I’m not calling for him to all of a sudden become a humble and meek candidate or become more effeminate like most politicians do (*cough* Lindsay Graham *cough*). I’m saying that he should focus on how he wants people to perceive him. Last I checked, elections are all about public perception. And right now, Trump is losing that fight.
In my opinion, the winning message that would ensure a landslide GOP Primary victory and a General Election win is simply for Trump to brag that he’s the greatest president of all time. Ignore these pesky candidates that have no shot. Don’t lower himself to their level. Instead, just brag about all that he’s accomplished. If he does that, he wins the primaries for sure… and in the General Election, all he has to do is lay out a compare and contrast between America under Biden vs America under Trump.
This is where Trump’s bravado and arrogance can be a net-positive for him.
As long as Trump lowers himself into the mud with the rest of the Republican candidates, he gives them a chance to take him out. He needs to be so confident and arrogant that he doesn’t waste his breath on these nobodies.
Focus on winning. Focus on the country. Focus on the American people
Focus on Making America Great Again.
As we are heading into Election Season, we’ve got a lot of work to do to save America. It’s going to be late nights and long days… which means a lot of caffeine is needed! There’s no coffee more patriotic than Freedom First Coffee… it literally tastes like FREEDOM. Stock up using discount code JEFF at freedomfirstcoffee.com.
Excellent analysis of Trump.
Excellent advice for Trump.
Your Substack is behind a paywall (so I became a paid subscriber just based on your today’s title).
This posting must get to Trump or someone close (Junior?) ASAP.
I’m all in for him; he’s the only one standing who isn’t afraid of the Swamp/Deep State. Others play footsie w/ them to keep peace.
PLEASE GET THIS TO THOSE CLOSE TO HIM.
I can post link on Truth Social but no one will be able to access entire content which is crucial.