Third Time, No Charm

There are still many Trump supporters who really believe that Donald Trump will win the 2024 presidential election. And there are Trump supporters who want to believe that he will win but know deep down inside that the tide is against him realistically winning the election. But that has not stopped his supporters from beating the drums that somehow a miracle will happen. Even some conservative religious leaders who were openly prophesizing that Trump would win are strangely silent at this juncture of the campaign season even though Trump has a commanding lead over his closet rival. Perhaps they are waiting for a vision or a sign because any message of “we have the victory” is non-existent despite the nonstop bashing that we constantly hear from the MAGA troops of President Joe Biden of how he is “destroying” the nation. Unless something catastrophic happens between now and Super Tuesday, Trump may very well be on his way to accepting the Republican nomination to challenge Biden or whomever the Democrats nominate. If Trump secures the nomination, it will be his third time running for the highest office in the land. They say that the “third time is the charm” is probably something that you won’t hear come out of Trump’s mouth because he probably believes that this time, the presidency will be handed to him. After two attempts, Trump won once and lost once, but the saying is based on someone trying two successive times, only to “get lucky” and win the third time. But where will the luck come from? It won’t come from the court system because Trump can’t use the old “system is rigged” line anymore. That may not prevent him from using that angle, as he knows that this will be his last chance at the White House because four years from now, Trump will be past 80 years of age. One of the things that Trump can hope for is an actual impeachment of President Biden by House Republicans. The only problem with that is that Republicans led by Jim Jordan haven’t uncovered any evidence that would stand against the wild accusations leveled at Biden by House Republicans who are not even grasping at straws, but only using wild accusations that they know would not stand in a court of law. But this is the campaign season and Republicans including Trump have nothing to run on except 2022 campaign rhetoric that still excites the base. One only needs to look at the current group of Republican challengers and facts be told, not one among them is a breakaway star capable of challenging Trump. Trump’s dilemma is in how his lawyers are going to handle the multiple indictments looming over his head and how he will be affected when the campaign wars heat up. One or more of his challengers will have to start throwing hard body shots and maybe a little mud in an effort to throw Trump off of his game. That will be a balancing act that a member of the famed wire-walking family the Wallendas would admire and take notice of if such a challenger could withstand the fury of Trump’s base for “attacking” their man.

As we go further into the campaign season, look for Trump to do even more than he vowed that he would do in 2016. You will hear him say( but not how) that he “has solutions” to make America great again, prompting the question, didn’t he already do that? Instead of taking four years to fix America’s problems, he will claim that he can do the impossible in half the time. One need not guess what he will be doing for the rest of his term. Does playing golf come to mind? Trump is already a one-time loser when it comes to winning the presidency. Give him credit for winning the first time around. The second time he lost and he knows it, despite clinging to the notion that it was rigged. The people(judges) that mattered to his false arguments didn’t buy what he was selling. If he wins the nomination, the next thing that will follow will be the knockout blow sending Trump into political history and oblivion. Oh, and how does that other old saying go? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. No charm the third time. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.