There are other echoes of 2015. There’s derision directed at Trump’s extremely small team of loyalists that would form the nucleus of his campaign — just like the first time around.
There’s a very strong possibility that if Trump ran for the nomination and lost he’d try to poison the chalice — the reason for the Reince Priebus-orchestrated “loyalty pledge” back in 2015.
Trump benefited during his first run from a multi-candidate field that divided his opposition. At the same time, no one quite knew how to handle him, and many candidates spent time ducking and covering. The same could well be true in 2024.
The biggest difference with Trump’s first run is that now he’s been president of the United States. He’s shown he can win a presidential race (as well as, it must be added, lose one).
Rather than an outsider who has to be grateful for every small crumb of support from Republican officialdom, Trump owns the RNC, has elected officials he endorsed — from governor to dogcatcher — scattered all over the landscape, has a government in waiting in the form of various “America First” entities, and is lavishly funded. This time around, Trump will have his own establishment — a MAGA establishment that he and his loyalists have fashioned in recent years—at his back.
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