Trumpism continues to thrive despite Trump himself suffering 'effectual exile': columnist

Donald Trump persists in projecting the image of a guy who's going to run for president (again). He basically makes that declaration at his "rallies" around the country, in online statements and fundraising emails. While Trumpism thrives in today's GOP in the personification of the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ron DeSantis and others, some are questioning how viable a candidate Trump would be in the 2024 election.

One of those is Guardian opinion columnist Rebecca Solnit. She writes: "One of the assumptions is that Trump will still be alive and competent to run, but the health of this sedentary shouter in his mid-70s, including the after-effects of the Covid-19 he was hospitalised for in 2020, could change." Solnit also lays out a long list of factors that would make for serious headwinds if Trump decides to run again.

His businesses appear to be losing money, he's the subject of civil and criminal legal actions in New York and Georgia, E. Jean Carroll’s allegations of defamation over his insult-laden denial that he raped her and potential legal proceedings for absconding with boxes of classified documents when he moved from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago retirement home.

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Solnit opines: "Though the 14th amendment of the US constitution should ban all insurrectionists from running for elected office, it seems unlikely to be applied to 21st-century candidates the way it was to former Confederates. But still, the Georgia and New York charges are serious. All of which is to say that the road from early 2022 to late 2024 is bumpy for Trump."

While "the man himself is sulking in his private club in Florida – enduring effectual exile from New York, Washington – and Twitter – but to a degree, his work is done. He has got an already corrupt political party to embrace his tactics and values. The brazen lies of prominent figures in the party show that they’ve abandoned all ethics and standards, and will happily violate the oaths they took to uphold the constitution. Viral Trumpism has already merged with conspiracy theories such as QAnon, with anti-vaccine cults, with white supremacists and neo-fascists, and with the gun-fetishising groups that continue to have an ominous presence in public life."