The Key About Trump's Endorsements
Last weekend, former President Donald Trump announced his endorsement of Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance in the hotly contested primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio this May. This news comes in a month of various other important endorsements and public statements from Trump in hotly contested congressional races around the country. The biggest takeaway from these statements isn't related to any specific Trump endorsement. It’s the window that these endorsements provide into Trump's political strategy in the midterms and their thoughts on his political future. Today I’m examining the importance of these endorsements and the pattern that has emerged over the course of the past few months.
Our discussion begins almost a decade ago, when Trump first announced his candidacy for president in that golden lobby at Trump Tower in New York City. At the time, “the Donald” wasn’t a successful politician. He had run for president in 2000, and he had lost badly, and Fate consistently thwarted his efforts to run for president in the last decades of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century. Trump's greatest qualification and perhaps his greatest weapon was his celebrity, not his political savvy.
Because Donald Trump was a household name, in part because of his time on the hit TV series The Apprentice, he was able to capture the attention of an entire nation. From day one, everyone knew that Trump was running for president, which gave him the significant name recognition that almost immediately catapulted his campaign’s small-dollar donations and polling numbers.
His spontaneous rise can also be attributed to the way Trump conducted his campaign. He made use of a lot of the elements within the entertainment industry to draw supporters and curiosity seekers to his Twitter account and to his rallies, where he used his message to convince voters across America to support the movement he was hoping to grow. Trump’s use of public perception was key to his victory, and his rallies were the place he honed his message and transcended his reality TV star personality to become a serious presidential hopeful.
All of these strategies were so successful that they allowed Trump to become president, and the overall lesson that Trump learned from this experience is that celebrities are winners. That explains his endorsements of other celebrities this election cycle.
Georgia: Herschel Walker—the former NFL running back, businessman, and reality TV star—rode Trump’s support into this race. He has consistently refused to debate or to speak publicly, but he has still managed to hold on to a consistent lead over Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock. And with Walker all but assured the Republican nomination, it seems the only thing that Walker can do is fall pon his face and get a very weak primary support or lose to Warnock in the general election.
Pennsylvania: Mehmet Oz, the Oprah Winfrey protegee and cardiothoratic surgeon was endorsed in the Pennsylvania Senate Race. Despite, the fact that Oz barely has lived in Pennsylvania for little over a few months. This endorsement in particular was perplexing as Oz, was by many standards is a fake conservative, and not a very effective Trump surrogate. However, Trump's praise for Oz comes from his positive statements regarding Trump and his health. The race has been characterized as a key to Republican's path to a majority. Though, if Oz doesn't beat former deputy treasury secretary David Mccormick the damage done to Trump will be done regardless of which party wins the general election.
Ohio: JD Vance, the Hilibili Elegy author has been endorsed by the former President in a race dogged by partisan inter-tribalism and immaturity by many candidates like Josh Mandel. And the truth is that while Republicans are favored to win in Ohio, Trump's reputation could be badly damaged if Vance loses in the primary or the general. Which is a real possibility as the highest Vance has gotten in the polls is a very weak three way tie for first. Which has led some particularly in the Trump's inner circle to criticize the decision by Trump to endorse Vance, who was once a primary Anti-Trump force.
Overall, Trump faces consistent problems with his endorsements and his methodology. However, arguably Trump is one of the smartest political figures we have seen for a while, so maybe he will be proven right all along? Whatever the case we are in for a wild ride.
