It is now acquired, they say. No longer if, but when. In the media and among those who know, or who claim, it is clear. Donald Trump is back, or about to be, as a presidential candidate. Prepare yourselves.
Millions see him as a thwarted redeemer and yearn for a second coming. Like messiahs before him, from Skywalker to Moses, he may still be grappling with his destiny.
He risks being rejected twice. A sobering prospect for someone who says he hates losers. But the faithful, or many of them, have decided.
On Fox News, speaking on the radio and even at a fundraising event he himself attended, Donald Trump was told. Act now – there will be no better time.
The clamor began to rise with the anger provoked by FBI agents search Trump’s Florida estate at Mar-a-Lago. Even his Republican rivals lined up shouting their outrage at the Feds.
But a Trump candidate’s landslide victory in Wyoming over his biggest casualty yet has ratcheted things up.
Many believe the time has come for Trump to declare his candidacy.
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A Trump candidate’s decisive victory over Liz Cheney has enormous symbolism. From Dick, the former vice president, to Liz, the Cheney brand was everything Republicans stood for. But none of that mattered. His victory in Wyoming cemented Mr. Trump’s hold on the party.
It is for the same reasons as before. He’s the non-politician who finally takes on Washington and enrages its political and media elites, draining the swamp and so on.
Billionaire scam on the masses, or not, his pitch works and he raises millions. His “persecution” by these elites, from the point of view of his supporters, only strengthens him politically. He made millions from this one FBI raid.
One of the reasons why these millions despise Washington and its elites goes back to the sins of Liz Cheney’s father. Vice President Dick Cheney helped America wage war in Iraq on false premises that cost America lives and billions, not to mention enormous damage to its power and prestige.
More than one observer has pointed out the irony of his position. The daughter of a man accused of uttering a big lie, has fought to refute another, Donald Trump’s claim that he won the last election and she has now been punished for it.
Liz Cheney can say she’s not leaving. She has vowed to continue her crusade against Mr Trump.
Fans enthusiastically compare her to another Star Wars Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who told Darth Vader he could kill him, but that would only make him stronger.
It is difficult to see how this metaphor holds up politically in the immediate term at least.
Mrs. Cheney’s pursuit of Mr. Trump appears to have little electoral appeal where it counts, if Wyoming is to be believed. But she will remain a potent antagonist to Mr Trump, pushing him and that could make his candidacy more likely as he seeks to frustrate his efforts.
What does this mean for America as it heads into midterm elections with one of its two main parties completely under the sway of one man, a “cult of personality” as a group of anti-Trump Republicans put it this week?
In Wyoming, Mr. Trump’s growing power has led to dramatic successes, but that may not be the case in other races.
Mr Trump’s sway means extreme candidates are selected to run elsewhere. Conspiracy theorists who believe QAnon’s nonsensical America is run by pedophiles for example. The latest figures suggest several of them are struggling in the polls and observers say that could jeopardize the party’s chances of winning back the Senate.
None of this is likely to deter Mr. Trump. No one dares stand up to him.
He still seems to understand voters better than the rest of his party and retains the power to make and break careers.
Mr. Trump’s legal danger is growing. Prosecutors continue to collect evidence. He is currently being investigated under the Espionage Act.
This may lead him to believe that running for the White House will make it harder for him to be charged. If charged, it promises to be the mother of all legal, political and constitutional crises.
Get ready. If you thought first-comer Trump was crazy enough, just wait for the sequel.