After losing the race for the White House in November, Donald Trump immediately told his allies that he planned to run for president again in 2024. He will even announce this intention on inauguration day. . of President-elect Joe Biden.
However, Mr. Trump began delaying the plan, after learning that running for re-election would require him to release a new set of financial records.
The documents could put Trump at risk in investigations, as well as in civil and criminal lawsuits, according to two Republicans close to the president.
And then there was a riot in the Capitol.
A growing number of Republicans believe that Mr. Trump is responsible for inciting the riots that led to the January 6 incident at the US Capitol.
In addition, Republicans also blamed the US president for the defeat in the contest for two Senate seats in the state of Georgia, leaving the Senate in the hands of Democrats.
Nearly 10 Republicans who have supported or worked for Trump say the president is unlikely to run for re-election.
If Mr. Trump changes his mind and still wants to run for the White House in 2024, some say they will stop him. Others hoped he would be persuaded to give up.
A friend of Mr. Trump said: "He won't show up in 2024. He won't run, but he will go around and say he'll attend."
Republican Party Divided
In the final days of Mr. Trump's term, Democrats fiercely pushed for the removal of the president.
Many of Mr. Trump's allies are dwindling support for the president; while aides, even cabinet officials, are leaving Mr. Trump.
The 74-year-old leader's bid to overturn the election results has pushed Republicans, already divided during Mr. Trump's presidency, into a new civil war.
"Republicans are more divided than they were two months ago, that's not how it works," said Republican strategist Alex Conant, who has worked for two presidential candidates.
“If there is anything that should be done now, it is that we should be more united to be ready to take on the role of opposition,” Conant said.
The rifts in the Republican party emerged when Mr. Trump began spreading rumors of election fraud last spring.
That's when he pondered the possibility of failure because of the pandemic outbreak, and outlined his strategy to stay in power.
Weeks after the November 3, 2020 election, he repeatedly made allegations of fraud with little or no solid evidence.
At the same time, he pressured state leaders to overturn the results, threatened Republicans not to side with him, and criticized his loyal vice president, Mike Pence.
"Significant policy achievements in four years - whether in economics, magistrates, nominations to the Supreme Court - were all wiped out by six weeks of utterly evil, undisciplined behavior, culminating in It's a disgraceful day at the Capitol," said a Republican strategist.
Whit Ayres, a longtime Republican pollster, described the process of certifying election results in Congress on January 6 as "the beginning of the battle to find the soul of the Communist Party. peace".
Republicans have fought a civil war in the past because of discussions about Trump's conduct. But that has never happened at a time when the political stature of the president has been so damaged.
The party's core constituency may still be on Trump's side. But his ability to reach his last name was severely impacted after January 8, when major social media platforms locked his account indefinitely or permanently.
Some Republicans - including those who have defended Mr. Trump from one controversy to another during four tumultuous years - say Mr Trump is virtually the representative of the party after he leaves office. office, although the president has never been loyal to the party.
Now they don't think so anymore.
Trump's influence
"He's not the leader of any Republican I know," said Scott Jennings, who worked for President George W. Bush.
A former Trump aide said the president now "needs to be kicked out of the Republican Party".
Before the Capitol was occupied on January 6, more than 100 House Republicans and dozens of Senate Republicans signed to protest supporting Joe Biden's victory. After the riot, they have no intention of blaming Mr. Trump for what happened.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally, said: "All those who despise and dislike Donald Trump have looked for every possible excuse to smear him.
Mr Gingrich said the media was partly responsible for the "disappointment and anger" of the rioting crowd.
"Biden will be the de facto president. But for 45% of the country, he will never be the accepted president."
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