By TIPP EDITORIAL BOARD, TIPP Insights

Former President Donald Trump officially declared his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday night.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump told a crowd at Mar-a-Lago.

The Never-Trumpers, the establishment, and the corporate media have been working overtime to demoralize the Trump base with multiple aims: cause a civil war in the Republican party and handicap Trump in every way.

The main gripe of some analysts and no-longer-Trumpers editorial boards is that the red wave did not materialize, which they see as Trump’s failure.

But, of the 15 Trump-endorsed senate races, nine won and six lost. Seven of the nine wins were not incumbents. We are pleased that Republicans will take control of the House. We wish Republicans had won the Senate.

Some of those who point out the split-ticket outcomes, such as in Georgia, where Kemp won the gubernatorial race by a 7.5-points margin, but Trump endorsed senate candidate Walker tied. His critics may have a point. But as in this example, Kemp’s opponent Abrams was a much weaker candidate than Walker’s opponent Warnock.

But if Trump was such a disaster, what explains the nine wins?

It is unfair to blame Trump alone for the party’s performance in the midterms. Those who take this position fail to recognize many other factors that Republicans were up against. While Republicans welcomed Dobbs, which no one could have even entertained as a possibility, for which Trump must get credit, there is a price to pay for it at the ballot box.

Also, Democratic Senate candidates spent $365 million compared to $195 million for Republicans. In crucial races like in Arizona, Masters was outspent 4 to 1, and in Pennsylvania, Oz was outspent 2 to 1. There are numerous other reasons as well, which we’ll reserve for another day.

To simply blame Trump for all GOP losses is too simplistic and a dishonest attempt with concealed agenda.

The drama to handicap Trump has been ongoing and will only intensify in the coming days and months. Democrats want to weaken Trump somehow. Be it AG Garland’s unprecedented raid on Mar-a-Lago or New York Attorney General Letitia James’s case against the Trump organization. It is a relief that the J6 committee’s dog and pony show will wind up when Republicans take control of the House.

The muted midterm results have prompted many to abandon Trump’s ship. Whatever their reasons, Trump has the right to declare his intentions to run for President. It is the Republican party that must decide if he should be their next choice for President. That is the process of American democracy.

Trump’s loyal fan base among the conservatives is a force to reckon with within the GOP. The media elite never understood that Trump has a deep connection with his base. As the late Rush Limbaugh used to say, the only person who could separate Donald Trump from his base is Donald Trump.

In August, we attended the CPAC conference in Dallas and witnessed the strong support for Trump firsthand. The straw poll at the conference showed Trump was favored over DeSantis 69% to 24%.

The elites argue that Trump may win the Republican primary but not the general election. Stop and think. Why does the liberal media want to foreclose his 2024 run? If Trump were an easy candidate for any Democratic nominee to defeat, would they not want to see him rise? Here in lies the answer.

While the media has a crucial role in the democratic process, it would be unfair to Americans to cast away a candidate even before he’d entered the fray. Trump has alienated many with his brash and petulant ways. Some of his loyal supporters want him to move past the 2020 elections claims. He must let go of the 2020 loss and focus on 2024. He should accentuate his policies and how he can turn the nation’s course.

Republicans have a long way to catch up with Democrats regarding electioneering. Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada are examples where Democrats benefit from the process.

Ron DeSantis’s performance was stunning and has elevated him as a potential challenger to Trump. DeSantis won with a margin of 19.4 points compared to Rubio’s 16.4. The welcome news is that the battleground state of Florida has turned red and will stay so for many years, thanks to the migration of Republicans from the blue states of New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois.

Trump described what he is up against in his speech: “We will be resisted by the combined forces of the establishment, the media, the special interests, globalists, the Marxist radicals, the woke corporations, the weaponized power of the federal government, colossal political machines, the tidal wave of dark money, and the most dangerous domestic censorship system ever created by man or women – the most dangerous system we’ve ever had.”

The Never-Trumpers would never accept, but the former President’s aggression and belligerence have had more hits than misses. As a self-declared outsider in Washington circles, he did break the shackles of norms, often bringing refreshing results. No longer a novice to public office, it is likely that given a second term, Trump may bring a more seasoned approach to governance this time round.

Who will lead America is a question that Americans must settle at the polling booths. The media is entrusted with the task of presenting facts, information, and opinions. Taking sides to serve a narrow or biased agenda does not favor the country.

The midterms were expected to bring in a red tide. American voters proved the media and pundits wrong. It would be interesting to see how grassroots Republicans react to the latest developments. Will they choose a former president as brash and bold as Trump to represent them again? Or will they choose another? The answer lies solely with the American voters.

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