The former Republican president hoped to ride the red “wave” towards a new candidacy in 2024 after the mid-term elections in the United States, but with limited gains and an outstanding result from his main rival within the party, the former president seems to be left in the bank.
The “wave” that Trump expected did not have the momentum that he expected. Even the other most relevant fact for him is the victory of the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, who consolidated his presidential project for 2024.
Before the count, the former White House tenant (2017-2021) hinted that he will announce his new presidential candidacy on November 15. Yet his plans appear to be clouded: Several of the candidates he handpicked did not fare well at the polls on Tuesday, some even losing seats held by Republicans to Democrats.
Trump tried to impose his own reading of the election from his own platform.
“While yesterday’s election was somewhat disappointing in some ways, from my personal perspective it was a great victory,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, the figure of DeSantis is growing among Republicans. A conservative-leaning Fox News editorial called Florida’s re-elected governor “the new leader of the Republican Party,” while the New York Post’s front page dubbed him “DeFuture.”
The end of the “kingmaker”?
Trump could expect to be favored with the traditional setback that presidents suffer in mid-term elections. The announced Republican “wave” not only fell short, but the “Trump approved” stamp did not work as he expected.