Trump’s Candidacy: Fair and Democratic Contest
Published in Sankei Shimbun
(Japan) on 17 November 2022
by (link to original)
(Japan) on 17 November 2022
by (link to original)
Translated from
by Dorothy Phoenix.
Edited by Wes Vanderburgh.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced his bid as a Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election. From this point on, he is aiming to be the final choice for the Republican nomination.
A former U.S. president has only been nonconsecutively reelected once, at the end of the 19th century. The reason for Trump's foray into the reelection candidacy is likely to exact revenge on Democratic President Joe Biden, to whom he lost in the previous election.
If that is the case, we hope that he competes with the Biden administration on solutions to various domestic and foreign problems, fairly and openly on the basis of the rules of democracy.
Trump has held political rallies in many places since leaving office and strongly hinted that he would run for reelection. At the midterm elections on Nov. 8, he was deeply involved in selecting rookie Republican candidates, and he also used the elections to further strengthen his influence within the Republican Party and prepare for launching his presidential candidacy.
However, the election strategies employed by Trump and other Republicans, who were expecting an overwhelming "Red Wave" (as red is the party's signature color), did not play out as expected. We should calmly recognize this fact.
Even now, Trump believes that the cause of his defeat in the last election was "massive fraud." During the midterm elections, he called on rookie candidates to make presidential election fraud a point at issue.
It cannot be denied that these claims of fraud invite backlash from moderate Republicans and swing voters. Such a perspective may be the undercurrent behind the many Trump-backed newcomers that did not get elected. Even though Trump has a firm supporter base, should he not reconsider how voters receive his self-serving claims?
While Trump was president, he made great achievements, such as confronting hegemonic China. But the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building last January, which his supporters carried out due to his influence, is regarded as a major blot on U.S. political history. We would like for Trump to put an end to his irresponsible repeated calls of "injustice" with no basis.
Within the Republican Party, there will likely be rivalry as other candidates move to enter their names as presidential candidates. Mike Pence, the vice president during the Trump administration, has distanced himself until now, but there are hints that he may also be a candidate. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is also highly popular. In such circumstances, there is a question of how widespread Trump's support will be.
If the U.S. political climate destabilizes due to fruitless antagonism, the despotic influence of countries such as China and Russia will only benefit. Taking this point into account, we would like for the U.S. presidential election to be a model for democracy.
A former U.S. president has only been nonconsecutively reelected once, at the end of the 19th century. The reason for Trump's foray into the reelection candidacy is likely to exact revenge on Democratic President Joe Biden, to whom he lost in the previous election.
If that is the case, we hope that he competes with the Biden administration on solutions to various domestic and foreign problems, fairly and openly on the basis of the rules of democracy.
Trump has held political rallies in many places since leaving office and strongly hinted that he would run for reelection. At the midterm elections on Nov. 8, he was deeply involved in selecting rookie Republican candidates, and he also used the elections to further strengthen his influence within the Republican Party and prepare for launching his presidential candidacy.
However, the election strategies employed by Trump and other Republicans, who were expecting an overwhelming "Red Wave" (as red is the party's signature color), did not play out as expected. We should calmly recognize this fact.
Even now, Trump believes that the cause of his defeat in the last election was "massive fraud." During the midterm elections, he called on rookie candidates to make presidential election fraud a point at issue.
It cannot be denied that these claims of fraud invite backlash from moderate Republicans and swing voters. Such a perspective may be the undercurrent behind the many Trump-backed newcomers that did not get elected. Even though Trump has a firm supporter base, should he not reconsider how voters receive his self-serving claims?
While Trump was president, he made great achievements, such as confronting hegemonic China. But the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building last January, which his supporters carried out due to his influence, is regarded as a major blot on U.S. political history. We would like for Trump to put an end to his irresponsible repeated calls of "injustice" with no basis.
Within the Republican Party, there will likely be rivalry as other candidates move to enter their names as presidential candidates. Mike Pence, the vice president during the Trump administration, has distanced himself until now, but there are hints that he may also be a candidate. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is also highly popular. In such circumstances, there is a question of how widespread Trump's support will be.
If the U.S. political climate destabilizes due to fruitless antagonism, the despotic influence of countries such as China and Russia will only benefit. Taking this point into account, we would like for the U.S. presidential election to be a model for democracy.
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