Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) decided that since politics was done, it was time to transition, so he made the big step of telling his family and starting work with CNN. While on “The Situation Room” he outlined how he thinks Former President Trump is scared of seven-time Jenny Craig spokesman and former NJ Governor Chris Christie.
“If he was the incumbent running for reelection— you know, if this was 2020, like I get that, but he lost. He lost the Republicans and the presidency. The Republicans have done nothing but lose since Donald Trump, and so I think if he’s going to ask for their vote, he needs to come in front of them again and explain why this time, instead of being a loser, he’ll be a winner. But he’s not going to do it.”
Adding on, he informed CNN cornerstone Wolf Blitzer that he sees the reasons for this in a textbook case. “I’m sure, you know, some political consultants — and they may be right from a textbook perspective — would say, you know, ‘Don’t go to the debate, there’s no benefit in it,’ but honest to goodness, Wolf, Donald Trump is a coward. He’s scared to death of Chris Christie because I think Chris Christie is going to wipe the floor with him and I think that’s what he’s afraid of.”
This theory is interesting and deeply flawed. There is no need or good reason for Trump to get into the debates. Especially this early. The pool of candidates is deep, but at this point in the race, they are all debating who might get to run with Trump as his vice president. The only “fear” he would have is being afraid of taking away from giving his current opponents time for the American people to get to know them.
Other strategies that have been announced for Trump have included hosting a competing rally. A sandbagging idea, but one that would ensure he keeps a lot of attention, and instead of speaking in soundbites, he could share his message with a whole group continuously. This would be more effective on reaching his base and incredibly impactful on the debate attendance if done in the same city as some have suggested.
Another idea being tossed around would be for President Trump to attend and sit in the audience and share his thoughts in real time via his social media network, Truth Social. This would be the first time for a candidate to sit as an audience member and also the first time a former President live-posted to his followers all his thoughts about a debate.
This monumental election we have on tap for 2024 will make a big splash in the history of the nation. As the first time a former President is facing off against the man who unseated him and then charged him criminally, this next election will be etched in the pages of history, and these debates will be a part of that history. Why embarrass others by being there early?
Being the man to beat has been a position Trump has been in much of his life. Many people thought that they had what it took to defeat him and to best his skills, but the man has continuously kept moving forward and has persevered even when treading where others failed to achieve. His loss in the 2020 elections said more about the Democrats and their ownership over mainstream media than anything else.
This kind of loss makes him a dangerous man. Trump knows the 2024 elections are a no-lose proposition for him. Should he lose, that leaves the American people with a dementia-riddled senior citizen in office for another four years, and the people won’t survive. For Trump, it would mean the America he wants to make great again would need to establish a new base of great because what we now remember as great would be long gone.