We have gone past the super Tuesday of the US presidential election primaries, which confirmed Joe Biden and Donald Trump as the face-off candidates in November of this year. We still have some ways to go, but the Super Tuesday also saw the last Republican candidate standing up to Trump, Nikki Haley, withdraw from the race. So nothing seems to hamper Donald’s path to GOP nomination and the third season of US presidential reality show, starring the man who would be king, or so he thinks.
Given Trump’s legal hassles and a number of court decisions that may derail his nomination, there are hopes that he will be taken off the ballot, and Nikki can sub in, and pose a real challenge to Joey. Otherwise, she is probably standing aside waiting for 2028 elections and a true opportunity to make women and visible minorities proud. Or should she wait that long?
You see, I am no fan of dear Nikki, and certainly found her very annoying as the ambassadress to the UN, but I have to admit she has an excellent resume: governor of South Carolina－knowing that governorship has historically been a privileged path for presidential candidates－and experience in foreign policy during her UN tenure. Add that to her gender and ethnic background you have got a super star waiting to make an impact. I am sure political pundits have already thought about what I am going to say: wouldn’t the duo of Donald Trump and Nikki Haley be a dream team to bring the Republicans back to the White House, and maybe even give them major wins in the Congress?
I know this seems to be a ‘NO’ from the start, for everyone knows Trump is chaos and no one can truly exist with him as president. Furthermore, he has such an anomisity toward her, that he is unlikely to consider her as a possible choice. So, why should Haley take this chance, when she can wait until 2028 and make it big on her own? And would her supporters not get turned off by her overture to Donald?
Yes, all this is true, but look at it this way: Who knows whom the GOP may have as running for nomination in 2028? There could be new candidates who have refrained this time, but would present a serious choice, whereas she has a real following this time around. Furthermore, even the republicans who cannot stand Trump, would be swayed to vote the ticket, because they want to ‘win’ and there is a hope that she can have a restraining effect on the man. But what about Trump accepting it? That may be the real question, but we still have time before anything has to be finalized.
Paris, May 2, 2024
Zeejay