As he leaps with both feet into his run for the Republican party's 2024 presidential nomination, Donald Trump plans to more tightly embrace the Jan. 6 insurrection and the rioters and put his primary opponents on the spot to either join him in his celebration or face the wrath of his ardent fans, reports the Daily Beast.
With the shadow of multiple investigations hanging over him, including one by special counsel Jack Smith about his part in inciting the Capitol riot, the former president is leaning harder into using the attack on the Capitol to keep his base fired up.
As the former president reportedly sees it, his support of the rioters will keep his GOP opponents off balance as they try to peel voters away from him.
Put simply, as the Daily Beast's Jake Lahut wrote, "In doing so, the thinking goes, Trump is able to not only strengthen his bond with core primary voters, but also drive a wedge between those voters and other GOP presidential contenders—several of whom have loudly criticized Trump for his role in the Capitol violence."
According to one GOP political strategist, Trump's strategy seems aimed at his likely lead competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as he tries to differentiate himself from Trump.
“DeSantis can’t come out and say Jan. 6 was a terrible day in our country’s history akin to Pearl Harbor. He’d be done,” they explained before adding, "But he also can’t be put in a place where he’s defending Trump’s actions."
The report adds, "In what should otherwise be a devastating low point for a presidential candidate besieged by a multi-count indictment on top of other legal woes, the Trump 2024 campaign thinks they’ve found a way to turn the tables on the rest of the field by daring them to cross the GOP base over the hush money case and Jan. 6."
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