Throughout the two long months that Donald Trump spent in post-defeat denial, numerous theories circulated regarding what his big post–White House plans would entail. At the time, the leading assumption was that Trump would stick to his strengths and go all-in on a media venture, perhaps becoming the creator of his own news network. Others wondered if he would continue leading and reshaping the conservative movement by forming a Trumpian third party, or targeting GOP lawmakers who voted for his second impeachment.
But since leaving the White House, his future plans appear to be at a standstill, despite continuing to be the most influential Republican in the country. While he did continue his multiyear run as CPAC’s keynote speaker last month and is still asking supporters of the “America First” movement to contribute to his ill-defined Save America PAC, Trump has not made any concrete moves aimed at advancing his political ambitions. For one, his plan to enlist primary candidates to unseat the Republican lawmakers on his bad side––either because of their role in his latest impeachment or because of their refusal to help in his failed effort to overturn Joe Biden’s victory––appears to be going nowhere. The former president has no “no apparatus, no structure” at the moment, one source tied to Trump told Politico.
“Part of that is due to a lack of political understanding on Trump’s behalf,” the person added, explaining that Trump is struggling to effectively wield his political capital now that he is out of the White House. A former White House official under Trump also told the publication that his old boss is showing the party his true colors. “For any normal politician, it would look like he’s trying to have it both ways but really he’s trying to have it his way,” they said. “He only cares about maintaining his power and his stranglehold over the Republican Party and it doesn’t matter to him how any of the moves he makes affect the long-term success of institutions or individuals other than himself.”
Trump’s goldfish-like inability to commit to a specific course of action is a major disordering factor, namely in hurting his efforts to lead insurgent primary campaigns against his perceived enemies. Another ex–Trump administration official told Politico that Trump is like a “pinball” right now. “[Trump is] making endorsements of people without going through the process he agreed to three days ago. It’s really disorganized,” they said.
His lack of direction notwithstanding, Trump has continued to make his issues with the party leadership known while using his popularity with voters to his advantage. Shortly after demanding that the Republican National Committee stop using his name and likeness to fundraise––a request that the RNC said it would ignore––he turned around and asked supporters last week to donate directly to his PAC. In a statement, Trump lashed out at the “RINOS [Republican in name only] and fools” and insisted that “it is not their right to use my likeness or image to raise funds,” adding that “they do nothing but hurt the Republican Party and our great voting base—they will never lead us to Greatness. So much money is being raised and completely wasted by people that do not have the GOP’s best interests in mind.”
For Republicans who are still close with him, Trump remains a vital key for their electoral hopes. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, his former press secretary who is running in Arkansas’s upcoming gubernatorial race to unseat the state’s sitting GOP governor Asa Hutchinson, advertised her visit with her old boss over the weekend, sharing a picture on social media of the two at a campaign event. “Another great weekend on the campaign trail featuring a surprise appearance at one of my events by President Trump!” she wrote on Instagram. Trump released a statement of his own cosigning Sanders’s electoral hopes. “Sarah is strong on Borders, tough on Crime, and fully supports the Second Amendment and our great law enforcement officers,” he wrote. “She loves our Military and Veterans—and her home state of Arkansas. Sarah will be a GREAT Governor, and she has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Though Trump’s media presence has been fading since leaving office—and losing his Twitter megaphone—the Biden administration could still use the former president’s sway with the MAGA faithful to assist in the nation’s ongoing mass vaccination effort. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki asserted that “if former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to be more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the campaign, of the vaccine, certainly we’d support that.” Psaki, who has acknowledged polling that shows Republican men are among the most likely to oppose receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, made the comments just after Biden shrugged off the need for Trump’s help. “I discussed it with my team and they say the thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preachers, what the local people in the community would say,” the president said. “So I urge all local docs and ministers and priests to talk about why, why it’s important to get that vaccine, and even after that, until everyone is in fact vaccinated, to wear this mask.”
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