Donald Trump rings in 2023 facing headwinds in his White House run

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Donald Trump started 2022 on a high. Major candidates flock to Florida to court the former US president for a coveted endorsement. His rallies attract thousands. A group of investigations remained under the radar.

A year later, Trump is facing a different reality.

He is embroiled in criminal investigations that could end in indictments. He was blamed for the Republicans’ disappointing performance in the November elections.

Rather than shying away from challengers, his potential rivals in 2024 appear bolder. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, fresh off a resounding re-election win, is increasingly seen as Trump’s most formidable competition.

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Trump’s lackluster campaign announcements have left even former stalwarts wondering if he’s serious about another run for the White House.

There was a movie Failure to Launch. I think that’s been the process of Donald Trump’s run so far. He had the announcement, and he hasn’t done anything to back it up since, said Michael Biundo, a GOP operative who advised the Trump campaign in 2016 but it remains unclear at this time.

What campaign? asked longtime GOP donor Dan Eberhart, who gave US$100,000 to Trump’s 2020 re-election effort but is now leaning toward DeSantis. Trumps early launch seems more a reaction to DeSantis’ overperformance and a legal strategy against prosecution than a political campaign.

Ross D. Franklin/AP

Donald Trump at a rally on January 15, 2022, in Florence, Arizona. (File photo)

Trump campaign officials insist they have spent the weeks since his Nov. 15 announcement methodically building a political operation. Trump, they note, was announced before the holiday season, when politicians usually lie, and he did so unusually early, giving him plenty of time to ascend.

This is a marathon and our game plan is being executed as designed, said Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung.

We are also assembling top teams in early voting states and expanding our massive data operations to ensure we dominate on all fronts, he said. We will not play the game of the media trying to dictate how we campaign.

Trump also defended criticism of his campaign’s slow start. The Rallies are going to be bigger and better than ever (because our Country is going to Hell), but it’s a little early, isn’t it? he wrote on his social media site.

Ross D. Franklin/AP

Supporters of Donald Trump cheer as he speaks at a Save America Rally on January 15, 2022, in Florence, Arizona.

Although he avoided campaign events, the former president was still controversial.

There was his dinner with a white nationalist and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, spewing anti-semitic tropes and conspiracy theories; his suggestions that parts of the Constitution be repealed to restore him to power; and the main announcement being the launch of a $99 digital trading card that does not benefit his campaign.

Since his announcement, he has also faced a series of legal setbacks, including the appointment of a special counsel to oversee the US Justice Department’s investigation into the existence of classified documents at Trump’s Florida estate as well as also key aspects of a separate inquiry involving Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Trump’s namesake company was convicted of tax fraud last month for helping executives avoid taxes on excessive perks. In Georgia, a special grand jury appears to be wrapping up its work investigating his efforts to stay in power.

Trump’s potential rivals have spent months laying the groundwork for their own campaigns, visiting early voting states, speaking before conservative groups and building the kinds of relationships that could benefit the them in line.

Bob Vander Plaats, the president and CEO of The Family Leader, an Iowa-based conservative group, pointed to Republicans like former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who repeatedly again to visit the state.

They’ve done the early work needed to get in front of Iowans and they’ve been very well received, he said, noting the time since Trump announced his candidacy has been unusually quiet. In many ways, it’s like the announcement never happened or as if it didn’t happen because there was no immediate buzz. … I’m not hearing from the people on the ground, I can’t wait for Trump to run.’ ‘Did you hear Trump’s announcement?’

He called the poor performance of some Trump-backed candidates in the 2022 midterms a caution and said even Trump supporters are open to supporting someone else in the 2024 contest.

For the president, I think he definitely has to get the nomination, he said.

Jill Colvin/AP

Bumper stickers supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are sold at former US president Donald Trump’s rally in Texas on January 29, 2022. (File photo)

Despite his weaknesses, Trump remains the early Republican front-runner. While he is seen as a possible loser in a one-on-one matchup, he will likely benefit from a crowded field that splits the vote against Trump, just as he did when he ran and won in 2016.

But Biundo, the former Trump campaign adviser, said that after watching likely candidates like Pence visit early voting states, he too believes the field is wide open.

I don’t think Donald Trump has it locked down. I don’t think Ron DeSantis has it locked up. I don’t think anyone is locked into it,” he said. At this point, it’s an open primary.

Andrew Harnik/AP

Donald Trump walks off stage after announcing a third run for president at Mar-a-Lago on November 15, 2022.

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