Surprising new revelations about former US President Donald Trump’s fight to overthrow the 2020 election have revealed growing political vulnerabilities, just as he looks at another presidential candidate. A former White House aide this week described Trump as an independent leader who did not respect the security of elected officials in any party as he came to power on January 6, 2021. Testimony from the congressional committee investigating the Capitol attack a roadmap for prosecutors to possibly charge Trump with a crime, say some legal experts. Republican voters – and Trump’s aspiring opponents in the 2024 presidential race – have taken that into account. Here in Iowa, the state that is expected to host the first presidential contest in about 18 months, several voters signaled Thursday that they were open to another presidential candidate, even if Trump were running again. At the same time, some conservative media outlets have issued scathing remarks to the former president. Republican presidential aides also said publicly and privately that they felt more and more courageous to challenge Trump in 2024 after the explosive new testimony. Nikki Haley, Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, drew about 350 conservative activists to a fundraising barbecue in Congress Thursday in Sioux County, where Trump won 82 percent of the vote in 2020. And there was plenty of evidence for Trump’s fatigue. Interviews with twelve attendees revealed strong interest in a 2024 alternative, even if Trump is on the ballot. “It will be very difficult to find people in this area who support the idea that people are not looking for someone else,” said Dave Van Wyk, owner of a transportation company. “Assuming that conservative America is 100% behind Donald Trump is simply not true.” For some Republican voters, that was the feeling even before this week’s stunning new testimony. Former White House spokesman Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday offered unknown details about the extent of Trump’s anger in the last weeks of his term, his awareness that some supporters had brought guns to the city on Jan. 6, and his ambition as rioters rallied. later the Capitol. Upset by the size of the crowd at the “Stop the Steal” rally – many supporters avoided entering because they were armed and did not want to go through metal detectors – Trump said of the result: “I do not. Make sure they have guns. “He’s not here to hurt me,” Hutchinson said. This detail has caused some repulsion. The agent driving the vehicle and another official were reportedly ready to testify under oath that Trump never fell behind the wheel. But the renewed concern was evident, The editorial board of the conservative Washington Examiner said Hutchinson’s testimony “should sound death” for Trump’s political career. “Trump is unfit to be close to power again.” The often pro-Trump New York Post sparked the headline: “Trump Tyrant.” And the conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal wrote: “Just when it seems that Donald Trump’s behavior after his defeat in 2020 could not have looked worse, a new savage testimony comes.” Certainly, the Conservatives have shared serious concerns about Trump repeatedly in recent years. And in any case, the former president has appeared largely unharmed, sometimes stronger. He has been caught on video bragging about being sexually assaulted. instigated a violent attack on the Capitol. and has been referred twice. However, Trump sits on campaign funds in excess of $ 101 million and remains deeply popular with many Republican voters. To be sure, Republican candidates from Arizona to Pennsylvania to Georgia are battling each other this mid-season for support. “The American people remain hungry for leadership,” said Trump spokesman Taylor Budovic, citing a strong track record of ratification and Trump’s success in raising funds. “And as another witch hunt erupts in the faces of Democrats, President Trump is in a stronger position now than ever before.” But even before this week’s revelations, a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC found that 48% of U.S. adults say Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the attack. on January 6 at the Capitol. Opinions about Trump’s criminal liability are predictably collapsing along party lines, with 86% of Democrats and 10% of Republicans saying Trump should be blamed. However, the fact that almost half the country believes he should be ousted is a remarkable position for the former president, indicating the difficulties he could face if he makes another White House candidacy. Trump said he raised nearly $ 9 million in March and April together. Data for May and June were not yet available, but aides to the former president say his fundraising has remained strong. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who looks forward to running for president in 2024, says he has heard concerns about Trump from both donors and voters before this week’s testimony, adding to the “cumulative weight” of political weaknesses of the former president. “People are worried that we could lose the election in ’24 and they want to make sure we do not nominate someone who has serious flaws,” Christie said. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is also considering running for office in 2024, said he considers Trump a winner in the Republican primary, even if Republican voters do not pay as much attention to congressional hearings as he does. “His approval rating among Republican voters has already dropped somewhat,” Hogan said in an interview. “Trump was the least popular president in American history until Joe Biden.” Aides to other Republican presidential candidates said privately this week that Trump may still be the overwhelming frontrunner to win the next Republican presidential nomination, but they believe his place in the Republican constituency is steadily declining. There was a widespread sense – or at least a hope – that Hutchinson’s testimony would accelerate this decline between voters and donors in a way that would open up opportunities for others. Marc Short, a senior adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, another potential candidate for the 2024 presidency, was blunt when asked about Trump’s political power. “Republican activists believed that Donald Trump was the only candidate who could defeat Hillary,” Short said. “Now the momentum has been reversed. He is the only one who lost to Joe Biden.” Indeed, Trump’s ambitious Republican rivals are leaning forward. Wyoming MP Liz Cheney, who serves on the Jan. 6 committee and has not ruled out running for president in 2024, described Trump as an immediate threat to American democracy in a speech Wednesday night at the Presidential Book Library. . “Republicans can be neither loyal to Donald Trump nor loyal to the Constitution. We have to choose,” he said. Hailey, who has said she would not run for the 2024 GOP if Trump were a candidate, declined to say on Thursday whether her testimony gave her a reason to reconsider the plan. Instead, an optimistic note was heard. “If there seems to be a place for me next year, I have never lost a match, I am not going to start now,” Hailey told reporters. “I will put 1,000% and finish it. And if there is no place for me, I will fight for this country until my last breath.” Farmer Bob de Koning said he remains committed to Trump. He plans to support him in previous Iowa constituencies, regardless of who he is running for. But his wife, Kathy de Koning, said: “We can do better.” “I just do not know if he is eligible anymore,” he said. —— People reported from New York. Associated Press author Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.
