Why is Trump ‘bucking’?

The spirit of electioneering is in the American air 

The tense marathon involving the candidates of both parties is still far from over, but those who have already tuned in to the party primaries have begun to show the first signs of activity.

Of course, the most media, scandalous, and above all, the most controllable of the possible Republican candidates, the predecessor of current President Biden, Trump, is on top of the game. He recently said that the authorities are preparing to get rid of him and is calling his supporters to defend him...

I don't know if Trump will be able to gather a large audience the way he did on January 6, 2021, when he was defeated by his democratic counterpart. Then it came to the storming of the Capitol in Washington, and photos of a cowboy lounger in the presidential office, as well as the photo of a Trump fan who wore a horned headdress in the hall of Congress, went viral. Five people died during the riots.

It was virtually the most high-profile attempt on American democracy, provoked not by some marginalized groups, but directly by a failed candidate who refused to leave the White House.

“It was virtually the most high-profile attempt on American democracy, provoked not by some marginalized groups, but directly by a failed candidate who refused to leave the White House”

The trail of criminal cases from that landmark day is still stretching. In fact, Donald Trump has reason to talk about his legal prosecution. The criminal cases involving the former president's name include incitement to a violent rebellion. In addition, Trump will be held responsible for obstructing the official work of Congress, conspiracy to defraud the federal government, and conspiracy to commit perjury. It should be noted that for the first time in American history, the criminal prosecution of a former president was initiated by the bipartisan US Congress after almost a year and a half of investigation.

The current election is very problematic for Trump for several reasons. Of course, no one knows how the court hearings on the aforementioned "criminal case" against the Republican will end. In addition, other stars have appeared on the party's horizon, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. For the time being, he adhered to an unspoken bipartisan agreement to support Ukraine in its war with Russia. But – and this was a revelation for his party – he recently came out with sharp criticism of the "unlimited check" to Kyiv that he believes the Biden administration has opened. Republicans were also caught off guard by the similarities between the rhetoric of DeSantis and, let's say, the "late Trump." Criticizing the "neophyte," South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said, "To say this (aid to Ukraine - ed.) doesn't matter is to say that war crimes don't matter."

“The current election is very problematic for Trump for several reasons. Of course, no one knows how the court hearings on the aforementioned "criminal case" against the Republican will end. In addition, other stars have appeared on the party's horizon, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis”

Ron DeSantis sounds exactly like Trump. He believes that the Russian-Ukrainian war has no global dimension and is a "territorial dispute," and that defending Ukraine from Moscow's invasion is not in the US "national interest." It is true that he has not yet given his own recipes for solving the problem, as Mr. Trump does, but the logic of his statements is exactly the same.

Just at the end of February, Trump told the American voters that when he returned to the White House, he would end the war in Ukraine overnight. "I will call Putin and Zelenskyy. I will tell them that we need to meet and I guarantee that I will be able to resolve this issue."

I don't know about Zelenskyy, but Trump seems to have a direct connection with Putin. Before the Republican lost the election, Western media (including Ukrainian ones) repeatedly hinted at a "dossier" of dirt on the Republican leader, which Russian intelligence services allegedly began collecting back when “Tricky” or the “ladies' man” was active in business in Moscow. Trump, surprisingly often, has endorsed Putin's autocratic regime and his aggression against Ukraine. He believes that Russia's annexation of Crimea was entirely legal and has the same opinion about the seizure of part of the Ukrainian Donbas. It is also known that the former American leader strictly opposes arms supplies to Ukraine, which, Trump fears, could end with Washington giving Kyiv... a nuclear bomb.

“Time works in Trump’s favor – Americans are counting their own money, including that spent by the current Biden administration to help Ukraine. In the end, the current attempt to organize a Trumpist gathering in Washington will show whether his presidential ambitions are justified ”

It is clear that this is just posturing and “bucking” by a refined populist driven by a thirst for revenge and power. It's also an attempt to shout down competitors from his own party, which is unlikely to encourage the Republican electorate to repeat the same old mistakes for the second time. But time works in Trump’s favor – Americans are counting their own money, including that spent by the current Biden administration to help Ukraine. In the end, the current attempt to organize a Trumpist gathering in Washington will show whether his presidential ambitions are justified

...And one more thing. When the US election race reaches a critical point, Bankova Street (Ukraine’s presidential office – ed.) should refrain from "interfering" in the process. That is, if possible, to refrain from the methods that took place during the 2020 Biden-Trump fight. The Ukrainian government should appreciate what the current administration is doing, and equally support bipartisan solidarity in Washington in our war against Russia with all its might.

About the author. Ihor Hulyk is a journalist and editor-in-chief of the Espreso TV website.

The editorial board does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.