In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s second acquittal in an impeachment trial, his supporters celebrated the Republican Party’s confirmed dominance. But as they did so, an influential voice warned, “Mr. Trump may run again, but he will not win new national elections.”
The Wall Street Journal also said that measures other than a run for the Republican nomination in 2024, such as a “revenge campaign tour” or a third-party run, would only “divide the center-right and elect Democrats.”
The verdict came in a newspaper editorial owned by Rupert Murdoch, a dominant voice on the American right. It echoed the moves of Murdoch, the Journal, and his other powerful media outlet, Fox News, last November, in the immediate aftermath of an election Trump still refuses to admit he lost.
On Saturday, seven Republicans voted in Senate Democrats to condemn Trump on charges of insurgency as a result of the uprising in the Capitol – 10 less than the needed two-thirds majority.
Many Republicans, particularly minority leader Mitch McConnell, denounced Trump’s behavior, but said they voted for acquittal because the trial was unconstitutional. Scholars dispute that, and the Senate voted twice to continue.
Trump issued a triumphant statement, promising supporters that he would “continue our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people.”
And in its news pages on Monday, under the headline “Pro-Trump Candidates Launch Early Senate, Governor Bids,” the Journal looked at early steps in key states ahead of the 2022 mid-term periods. The story describes emerging pro-Trump campaigns in Ohio, Virginia, Arkansas, and elsewhere.
But on the opinion page, under the headline “ Trump’s Non-Vindication, ” the Journal’s editors added the newspaper’s voice to warnings from senior Republicans that Trump’s hold on grassroots may not lead to another successful run of the White House – Even though Democrats in Congress couldn’t bar him from future office.
“For four years,” the editorial claimed, “Mr. Trump’s behavior has remained largely within constitutional boundaries – regardless of his rhetorical excesses and democratic attempts to oust him from office by breaking norms and defeating conspiracy theories.
But Mr. Trump’s unfair challenge to the 2020 election, even after multiple defeats in court, clearly broke those boundaries and culminated in the January 6 riot.
Mr. Trump may run again, but he will not win new national elections. He lost his reelection before the events of January 6, and as president, his approval for a job never exceeded 50%.
He could go on a revenge campaign, or run as a third-party candidate, but all he’ll accomplish is divide center-right and elect Democrats. The GOP’s defeats in the two Senate races on January 5 proved that.
“The country is pushing past Trump’s presidency and the GOP will remain in the wilderness until it happens.”