Staff Reports
Donald Trump is cruising into the July Fourth weekend with a figurative wind at his back, as if Lady Luck herself couldn’t resist voting “red” this season. The former president, once counted out by his critics when he became a so-called convicted criminal, has turned misfortunes into a goldmine, literally and figuratively.
Not long after the legal dust settled, Trump’s campaign coffers started overflowing, President Biden choked on the debate stage, and the Supreme Court delivered a ruling that left Democrats scrambling for their antidepressants. GOP strategist Scott Jennings observed that no presidential candidate has had the kind of serendipity Trump’s experienced recently. In short, what was supposed to be a tragic June for Trump turned into a nightmare for the Democrats, who now seem to be in freefall without a parachute in sight.
So much winning: Trump rides hot post-conviction hand https://t.co/At81pwk065
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 3, 2024
President Biden’s bungled debate performance has Democrats clutching their pearls, sparking long-simmering doubts about his cognitive abilities. The wave of speculation about whether Biden should pass the torch grew into a veritable tsunami when Texas Democrat Rep. Loyd Doggett became the first to openly suggest it.
Adding salt to the wound, the Supreme Court extinguished any Democratic dreams of easily prosecuting Trump over the 2020 election saga. With a ruling granting broad immunity to a sitting president, the judicial body all but wiped away the low-hanging fruit that Democrats were eagerly eyes. This legal shield has caused widespread panic within the Democratic Party, as even the chance of Trump facing serious punishment now seems more like a fantasy.
Previously, Trump critics were elated by his conviction and eagerly anticipated a sentencing that could hinder his political engine. But New York State Judge Juan Merchon dealt them a cruel blow when he rescheduled Trump’s sentencing from July 11 to September 19, pending a review of the Supreme Court’s ruling. As a result, Mr. Teflon himself has more time to rally his base and keep the spotlight fixed squarely on Biden’s unraveling campaign.
Trump has expertly capitalized on Biden’s chaos, engaging in a few media rounds and making a strategic decision to take it easy for a while. This has allowed the Biden debacle to continue dominating the headlines, further eroding any remaining confidence in the incumbent. He’s even taken to social media, circulating ads that mock Biden’s feeble performances, from his tussles with stairs to his frequent mental lapses.
Meanwhile, Trump’s allies, like Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani, haven’t shared his good fortune. Bannon began a four-month jail stint for defying a subpoena, and Giuliani faced disbarment for his zealous defense of Trump post-2020 election.
Despite these side dramas, Trump remains a political juggernaut. Back in late May, things looked grimmer for him when he was convicted of falsifying business records to hide hush money payments. No sooner had the gavel struck, Trump announced that his campaign had raised $39 million, thanks to a surge in small-dollar donations. That financial tide hasn’t stopped flowing; in fact, Trump’s campaign recently announced an eye-popping $331 million haul over the past three months. This financial muscle far surpasses Biden’s, leaving Trump with a considerable war chest going into election season.
Trump’s senior advisors snicker at the floundering Biden campaign, noting that all the Democratic spending has yet to produce viable results. With the GOP convention on the horizon and Democrats engaging in a circular firing squad post-Biden meltdown, it appears the momentum is overwhelmingly on Trump’s side.
