Trump signals interest in the presidency – and divides the Republicans

Donald Trump at a rally in Arizona

The former US President has expressed interest in running again.

(Photo: dpa)

new York Donald Trump loves the big stage. He spoke for an hour and a half at a campaign event in Arizona on Friday evening. And actually everything is like before. The Republican hands out: against the “radical left”, against his successor Joe Biden, high inflation, expensive gas prices and “fake news media.” To this day he acts as if the election had been stolen from him.

Trump has traveled to the Swingstate to campaign for Kari Lake, his preferred candidate for governor. And to set the mood for the upcoming big elections. “This year we will win back the majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate,” rumbles the 76-year-old. “And in 2024 we will reclaim our beautiful White House.”

It’s not an official announcement. But his appearance is a further signal that he could be planning a new candidacy. This means that the race for the future of the conservative party is in full swing.

Ironically, Mike Pence, Trump’s then-vice president, was also in Arizona on Friday for campaign events. Pence endorses another candidate, Karrin Taylor Robson. She is a former party lobbyist and part of the anti-Trump establishment.

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The appearances in the state are considered a harbinger of the emerging directional dispute. “This is the battle for the soul of the Republican Party in Arizona,” Barrett Marson, a Republican strategist, told Politico.

Mike Pence and Donald Trump

More than two years ago, the two were still companions. After the storming of the Capitol, Pence turned his back on Trump.

(Photo: AP)

It’s an opaque situation for both sides. Trump’s preferred candidate, Kari Lake, sees herself “as a product of the New Right,” as she stressed on Twitter. But I have to show how much support Trump will have nationwide.

A new book is fueling this discussion, especially in Washington. In “Thank You for Your Servitude,” Mark Leibovich, a reporter for The Atlantic magazine, describes how Republicans who publicly support Trump secretly hope he doesn’t run again.

>> Read here: Trump is said to have instigated the storming of the Capitol himself – will he still be US President again?

As late as Thursday evening, at prime time, the committee of inquiry into the storming of the Capitol had weighed heavily on the then President. Trump was not distracted by this on Friday evening.

Pence also made no mention of the hearing. Even if the nation was able to follow the evening before how endangered his own security was and that secret service employees who were responsible for his security said goodbye to their relatives on January 6 as a precaution.

Mike Pence is looking for the middle ground

For Pence in particular it is difficult to find a political line. As Trump’s vice president, he wants to participate in what Trump has achieved: relaxed regulations, reduced taxes, stricter immigration policies – Pence has to score points with the voters. And he can’t just rely on the voices of the establishment.

“Arizona and America need strong, experienced conservative leaders fighting the Biden-Harris administration,” said Pence (63). A survey by the Republican polling institute HighGround shows that two-thirds of voters who feel close to the conservative party believe that the presidential election was “probably” or “certainly” not right. That’s not the environment for Pence to convince her otherwise, strategists believe. There are also other Republican candidates lining up for 2024.

For the former US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, who also traveled to Arizona, the matter has already been settled. “We’re here to celebrate the 45th and 47th Presidents of the United States,” he called out to the crowd. “We all know we need to get Donald Trump back in the White House.”

More: “He has lied. He bullied. He betrayed his oath” – the committee wants to continue investigating Trump

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