Donald Trump, a ghost carried by his political instinct and his desire for revenge

We will probably never know. But isn't Donald Trump the first to be surprised by his indisputable victory, for his third candidacy for the presidential election? Pariah in chief after the January 6, 2021 assault launched by his supporters against the Capitol, the tycoon managed an improbable return, strewn with pitfalls, surrounded for a long time by a handful of loyal advisors and his clan.

At the start of 2021, Donald Trump was a man of the past. He continued to spread lies about electoral fraud, refusing to acknowledge his defeat. He railed against the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, for which he had nevertheless laid the foundations through an agreement with the Taliban. He saw no merit in the massive legislative plans passed by the Biden administration through Congress. Trump took the Supreme Court's decision to end the federal right to abortion in June 2022 as a personal victory. His camp paid the price, however, in the midterm elections, five months later. The announced red wave was a slump, despite the conquest of the House of Representatives. Several extremist candidates, dubbed by Donald Trump, bit the dust. Without waiting, the former president immediately announced his new candidacy for the presidential election.

It was entirely configured for a new confrontation, a revenge against Joe Biden. An assassination attempt, from which he escaped on July 13, in Pennsylvania, seemed to assure him a form of invincibility. But the entry on the scene of Kamala Harris, a few days later, caused a strong breathing gap for Donald Trump, who had difficulty finding the right formulas and striking angles in the face of this new adversary. The Trump campaign was once again a one-man show, often erratic, without a clear strategy, even if his running mate, Senator JD Vance (Ohio), supported him ardently, traveling through the pivotal states.

Behind the scenes, the campaign team, led by veterans Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, controlled everything it could, after taking complete control of the Republican National Committee earlier this year. This team convinced the tycoon to promote early voting procedures, in which the Republicans had a decisive handicap. She also sought to distance herself from the collective programmatic document, Project 2025, hosted by the Heritage Foundation think tank. What angered Donald Trump most was not the content – ​​inflammatory and reactionary – but the suggestion that he would put other people's ideas to music.

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