The old fight against Trump begins anew | Editorial

It hasn’t been two weeks since a majority of voters turned out to oppose extremist views, conspiracy peddlers, and election deniers. Yet there will be no rest for weary defenders of democracy. Just like a bad Hollywood sequel, Donald Trump is back.

Direct from Mar-a-Lago, Trump announced Tuesday he is running for president — again. At least his third bid for the White House has received a cool reception from the Republican establishment — so far.

GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy practically ran from reporters asking if he will endorse Trump, while mega donors are abandoning the former president.

Rupert Murdoch’s right-wing media properties — including Fox News, the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board — have turned against Trump. His own daughter Ivanka did not attend her father’s announcement and said she would not be involved in his campaign.

Even Trump seemed bored with his MAGA schtick. His rambling, hour-long announcement lacked energy and recycled old hits. He spent most of the time looking back to the long-ago, halcyon days when he alone could fix it. Of course, it was filled with lies.

Could the long national Trump nightmare finally be winding down? Not so fast. We’ve been here before. Republicans have distanced themselves from Trump at several turns only to come slithering back.

» READ MORE: Why did Republicans wipeout? They gave voters an easy choice. | Editorial

Most Americans have long known Trump is a joke. Indeed, everyone laughed in 2011 when President Barack Obama roasted Trump during the White House correspondents’ dinner, exposing him as a failed businessman and pathetic reality TV show host.

Trump’s first White House bid was written off the moment it was launched in 2015 after he descended the infamous escalator, railing about Mexicans bringing drugs, rapists and crime to America.

Surely, Trump would lose after the Access Hollywood tape emerged in the closing weeks of the 2016 campaign as he bragged about grabbing women by their genitals. If only.

Despite losing the popular vote, Trump eked into the White House, thanks to Russian interference, Facebook disinformation, and then-FBI Director James Comey’s letter regarding the breathless investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails.

Once in the Oval Office, Trump proceeded to lie and line his pockets. He cozied up to dictators, undermined alliances, and damaged America’s reputation abroad.

The Republican establishment looked away as Trump was exposed as a tax cheat with a history of racist and sexist comments. His hapless mismanagement of the pandemic resulted in thousands of needless deaths.

» READ MORE: A caustic election cycle ends with Pa. voters opting to preserve abortion rights and defend democracy | Editorial

The GOP yawned as Trump churned through staff and cabinet members at a record pace, while a long list of associates ran into legal trouble.

Republican lawmakers stood by Trump as he was impeached for extorting Ukraine. Some Republicans tried to inch away after Trump incited a deadly insurrection, but most couldn’t find the courage to convict him after he was impeached a second time.

At every turn, Republican elected officials chose political expediency over their sworn oath to defend the country from all enemies both foreign and domestic. Will this time be different? It is telling that after all of Trump’s unfathomable abuses, Republican elites are most upset about losing elections.

While the mainstream wing of the party may now want to move on, Trump’s base of MAGA supporters appears unshakable. About the only truthful thing Trump has said is that he could shoot somebody in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not lose any voters.

At this point, he remains the favorite to get the GOP nomination in 2024. Of course, much can and will happen before the next presidential election. Trump still faces five state and federal investigations. He may be indicted for taking classified documents, inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, or attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Or all the above.

Beyond revenge, perhaps the main reason Trump announced his candidacy so early is to stay one step ahead of the law.

Beyond revenge, perhaps the main reason Trump announced his candidacy so early is to stay one step ahead of the law. He will use the campaign to claim prosecutors are politically motivated, so get ready for nonstop whining about witch hunts.

A brief pause here to acknowledge the facts detailed above are only a partial list of Trump’s misdeeds, yet he remains a viable candidate for president again. That his supporters stand by this loathsome, crooked, incompetent, narcissist who does not care about them or the country is beyond comprehension.

The good news is the majority of Americans, including most independent voters, don’t want Trump to be president again. Indeed, most Trump-backed candidates in competitive 2022 midterm races failed to win elective office.

But the fight is not over. The next two years will be exhausting. Voters who care about decency and democracy — especially in pivotal Pennsylvania — must stay on guard. The ever-dangerous Trump remains at large.