“12 more years!”
A supporter shouted this at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally held in Laconia, New Hampshire, USA on the 22nd (local time). It was a request that if former President Trump wins the presidential election this November, he will amend the Constitution, which only allows for four-year terms, so that he can remain in power for a third term, that is, for the next 12 years. Former President Trump said, “It’s an interesting story, but don’t say it out loud. “They (the Democratic Party) will call me a fascist,” he said with a laugh.
The next day, a primary will be held in New Hampshire in which former President Trump and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley will compete for the Republican presidential nomination. The campaign rally on this day was virtually like a party celebrating Trump’s victory. Former President Trump was confident of victory, saying, “One person (former Ambassador Haley) will disappear tomorrow, and the remaining one (himself) will last until November.”
In an interview just before the campaign, he said, “I wouldn’t ask anyone to voluntarily resign, but Haley will have to resign.” This means that if she, who came in first place with an overwhelming 51% approval rating in the Iowa caucuses on the 15th, takes first place again in New Hampshire, there will be no reason for former Ambassador Haley to continue the primary.
This confidence can be interpreted as the steady rise in his approval rating even in New Hampshire, a state where non-party members can vote and which has many centrist voters. According to ‘Real Clear Politics’, a site that compiles opinion poll results, former President Trump’s approval rating in all 13 opinion polls released from the 17th to the 22nd exceeded 50%. In particular, in a survey by ‘Insider Advantage’ on the 22nd, his approval rating soared to 62%. It is 27% points behind former Ambassador Haley (35%). This is in contrast to the once approval rating gap between the two in New Hampshire, which was in the single digits.
He also refuted former Ambassador Haley’s criticism of former President Trump’s close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by mentioning Otto Warmbier, an American who was detained in North Korea and died shortly after returning to Korea. Former President Trump countered by saying, “I’ve been trying to get Warmbier out of North Korea since my first day in office,” adding, “I brought him home!” Warmbier’s death is not his fault.
On this day, some Trump supporters chanted the slogan of the far-right conspiracy theory group ‘QAnon’: “Where We Go One, We Go All.” QAnon is the organization that led the invasion of the Washington Capitol in January and June 2021 by supporters who objected to the results of the 2020 presidential election. On this day, some people shouted, “Please release the people who were imprisoned for storming the Capitol.” The New York Times reported that former President Trump responded, “I will (if I return to power).”
Former Ambassador Haley made a last-minute effort by campaigning in five locations in New Hampshire on the same day. He dismissed calls for his resignation, saying, “The presidential primary is a marathon, not a sprint.” The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a conservative economic media outlet, also effectively declared its opposition to Trump in an editorial, saying, “If the Republican Party nominates former President Trump as its presidential candidate again, that choice will end in voters’ tears.”
However, the prevailing opinion is that if former Ambassador Haley loses by a gap of more than 10 percentage points even in New Hampshire, which has a large moderate population, it will actually be difficult to complete the primary. The NYT analyzed, “If we lose here too, there will be criticism as to where we can beat Trump,” and added, “This primary will be the last resistance of the anti-Trump camp.”
Laconia =
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.