Right now, Donald J. Trump’s opponents can’t quite believe what they’re seeing.
Just a few short months ago, the “Swamp” denizens of Washington were breathing sighs of relief. They had done it! They had defeated the awful Trump, handed the White House to Joe Biden, and could now begin implementing all their cherished plans for a post-Trump America.
And then an amazing thing happened.
A twice-impeached former president who had supposedly incited an “insurrection” at the Capitol Building on Jan. 6 has returned—and he’s looking stronger than ever.
On the night of Saturday, June 5, Trump emerged to give only his second public speech since leaving the White House this past January. Trump was invited to hold court in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the state GOP Convention in Greenville, North Carolina.
This was not in the script that had been so carefully written. The former President Trump is supposed to be a historical footnote at this point. He’s supposed to be utterly destroyed, completely irrelevant, so radioactive nobody will go near him.
Not only is Trump not sulking in private in utter disgrace, he’s now exerting more direct control over the GOP than he ever did when he was in the White House.
Control the Money, Control the Party
The first quarter’s fundraising numbers revealed that Trump is in the process of raising a massive war chest to draw on in the 2022 and 2024 elections. Trump’s Save America PAC outraised the GOP almost 2 to 1 in the quarter, $85 million to $44 million.
So how did that happen?
At his big CPAC speech in late February and then in a released statement on March 9, Trump called for his supporters to begin sending their donations directly to him rather than to the GOP. While many legacy media commentators and top GOP politicians mocked and dismissed Trump’s Orlando speech as the ravings of a sore loser, it soon became apparent that the Trump base heard him and responded to his request. That money gives Trump an immense amount of clout.
By Brian Cates
