'Blood in the water': Trump's rivals see 'desperation' in latest announcement

According to a report from the Guardian's David Smith, Donald Trump's rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination saw weakness in his announcement earlier this week that he will run again, with Smith adding that they "smell blood in the water."

According to one of the founders of Politico, the former president looked like he was going through the motions during his announcement, adding that Trump looks like he is "no longer having fun."

Former Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), who also served in the House, indicated Trump's speech and demeanor reek of "desperation," and his rivals see a weakened presidential candidate.

"There’s a shelf life to every political figure. We do have expiration dates, and in military terms, at some point people outrun their supply lines. It has that feeling of desperation,” he explained. "If Trump has been perceived as the alpha dog in the room and now he may be faltering, there are going to be a lot of people nipping at his heels."

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According to the Guardian's Smith, "Trump’s potential rivals can smell blood in the water. DeSantis, Christie, former vice president Mike Pence – currently promoting a memoir – and ex-secretary of state Mike Pompeo have all dropped hints about running for president in 2024. Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, Nikki Haley, a former UN ambassador, and Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Tim Scott of South Carolina could also be in the frame."

Sanford agreed.

“Politics is constructed in a very Darwinian level and, the moment you start to show a little bit of weakness, you got 10 people coming at you fast, and I think there are going to be 10 people coming at Trump in fairly short order based on both real and perceived weaknesses that are beginning to now show," he explained.

He added, “Frankly, the only thing that he really had going for him, and this was the tagline in 2016, was ‘I’m a winner and you’re going to get so tired of winning’. He’s always been about the perception of winning and, once that mirror begins to crack, there is no there there.”

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