Were you anticipating Trump to run in 2024 right after the 2020 election?

[Tekken_Guy]

Were you expecting Trump to opt for a comeback immediately after he lost the 2020 election? Or were you expecting him to fade into irrelevance like most one-term presidents do?

[Shaula🏳️‍⚧️]

yes

[Sir Mohamed]

Yup, I actually expected him to announce his candidacy on January 20 on a "counter event" to Biden's inauguration.

[SN2903]

yes

[MarkD]

No. To me it made no sense - a year ago - for Trump to run again, and it still doesn't make sense now.
Since he so clearly believes that the last election was stolen from him via massive election fraud, why would he believe he CAN get elected in 2024? If 2020 was stolen from him why wouldn't 2024 be stolen as well? If those crafty Democrats and RINOs were capable of stealing one election from him, they will still be capable of doing it again four years later. So why bother?

[xavier110]

No. To me it made no sense - a year ago - for Trump to run again, and it still doesn't make sense now.
Since he so clearly believes that the last election was stolen from him via massive election fraud, why would he believe he CAN get elected in 2024? If 2020 was stolen from him why wouldn't 2024 be stolen as well? If those crafty Democrats and RINOs were capable of stealing one election from him, they will still be capable of doing it again four years later. So why bother?

He doesn’t believe it was stolen. He says that to rationalize his loss and to push measures that will better his chances next time.

Also if you haven’t been awake for the last six years, he creates his own reality to further his stranglehold over the GOP, who then are forced to accept this reality if they want to remain part of the party.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Yes, but only because the election turned out to be very close.

[AltWorlder]

No, because Trump is both less irrational and a lot more uncertain of things than he makes himself seem. He likely doesn't know whether he's going to run or not yet, and won't know for at least another year and a half.

[TDAS04]

Not as much as I am now, but yes.

[Tekken_Guy]

Not as much as I am now, but yes.

What do you mean by that?

[MarkD]

No. To me it made no sense - a year ago - for Trump to run again, and it still doesn't make sense now.
Since he so clearly believes that the last election was stolen from him via massive election fraud, why would he believe he CAN get elected in 2024? If 2020 was stolen from him why wouldn't 2024 be stolen as well? If those crafty Democrats and RINOs were capable of stealing one election from him, they will still be capable of doing it again four years later. So why bother?

He doesn’t believe it was stolen. He says that to rationalize his loss and to push measures that will better his chances next time.

Also if you haven’t been awake for the last six years, he creates his own reality to further his stranglehold over the GOP, who then are forced to accept this reality if they want to remain part of the party.

But I have thought that he DID believe "the big lie." He was saying, even before election day, that the only way he could lose was if the election was rigged. He looked at all those huge, massive campaign rallies with tens of thousands of cheering supporters not practicing social distancing, compare them to Biden's campaign rallies - where people were deliberately practicing social distancing, so they did not show up in person - and Trump would say, "How could I lose?"

When Sidney Powell told him the Dominion Voting machines were rigged to flip millions of Trump votes to Biden, Trump believed it, because he had a vested interest in believing it. His massive ego would not let him give up the theory that he won by a landslide. "We won, by a LOT."

Remember that infamous phone call he made to Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021? That was the phone call in which he tried to pressure Raffensperger to change the Georgia election result by "finding" 11,780 more votes for himself. Since Trump was only talking to one person - Raffensperger - why would he continue to "lie"? Trump said, "As you know, every single state. We won every state; we won every statehouse in the country. ... But we won every single statehouse, ..." To me, that can only be said by someone whose egotism, narcissism, and delusions are all big enough to genuinely believe that what he was saying was the truth.

[xavier110]

No. To me it made no sense - a year ago - for Trump to run again, and it still doesn't make sense now.
Since he so clearly believes that the last election was stolen from him via massive election fraud, why would he believe he CAN get elected in 2024? If 2020 was stolen from him why wouldn't 2024 be stolen as well? If those crafty Democrats and RINOs were capable of stealing one election from him, they will still be capable of doing it again four years later. So why bother?

He doesn’t believe it was stolen. He says that to rationalize his loss and to push measures that will better his chances next time.

Also if you haven’t been awake for the last six years, he creates his own reality to further his stranglehold over the GOP, who then are forced to accept this reality if they want to remain part of the party.

But I have thought that he DID believe "the big lie." He was saying, even before election day, that the only way he could lose was if the election was rigged. He looked at all those huge, massive campaign rallies with tens of thousands of cheering supporters not practicing social distancing, compare them to Biden's campaign rallies - where people were deliberately practicing social distancing, so they did not show up in person - and Trump would say, "How could I lose?"

When Sidney Powell told him the Dominion Voting machines were rigged to flip millions of Trump votes to Biden, Trump believed it, because he had a vested interest in believing it. His massive ego would not let him give up the theory that he won by a landslide. "We won, by a LOT."

Remember that infamous phone call he made to Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021? That was the phone call in which he tried to pressure Raffensperger to change the Georgia election result by "finding" 11,780 more votes for himself. Since Trump was only talking to one person - Raffensperger - why would he continue to "lie"? Trump said, "As you know, every single state. We won every state; we won every statehouse in the country. ... But we won every single statehouse, ..." To me, that can only be said by someone whose egotism, narcissism, and delusions are all big enough to genuinely believe that what he was saying was the truth.

He was saying that to BR because he has to say he’s won to justify finding the “lost” votes for him. It makes no sense to say I’ve lost, find me votes. As a tactic, it also forces BR et al to go “yes sir, we know you won,” thereby further cementing his hold over party officials. Of course BR did not comply, so now he’s persona non grata.

He also said the same thing in 2016 - that he would lose a rigged election - to justify his impending loss. But then he won.

[ElectionsGuy]

Not after January 6th. Only after the dust settled from those first few months, when the consensus pushed by media elites and many congressional Republicans - which is always more anti-Trump than reality - ended up being wrong, was it more obvious Trump was still planning to run again. And Biden's dramatic slide in popularity has only made that clearer. In fact, the reason he didn't pardon Snowden and others was at least partially because he got threatened by the likes of McConnell to get the 67 votes to convict him and ban him from running again. So clearly, he wants to run again. I still think it's so cowardly that he got bullied out of that, but at the same time, it shows how despotic the Republican establishment (and Dem establishment) is for wanting to imprison a hero like Snowden (who Trump originally wanted to be executed, if you remember).

[Tekken_Guy]

Not after January 6th. Only after the dust settled from those first few months, when the consensus pushed by media elites and many congressional Republicans - which is always more anti-Trump than reality - ended up being wrong, was it more obvious Trump was still planning to run again. And Biden's dramatic slide in popularity has only made that clearer. In fact, the reason he didn't pardon Snowden and others was at least partially because he got threatened by the likes of McConnell to get the 67 votes to convict him and ban him from running again. So clearly, he wants to run again. I still think it's so cowardly that he got bullied out of that, but at the same time, it shows how despotic the Republican establishment (and Dem establishment) is for wanting to imprison a hero like Snowden (who Trump originally wanted to be executed, if you remember).

What was the first moment you realized Trump was likely to run again?

[Schiff for Senate]

Were you expecting Trump to opt for a comeback immediately after he lost the 2020 election? Or were you expecting him to fade into irrelevance like most one-term presidents do?

Yes and no. I don't remember exactly what I thought but I don't think I considered it too likely he'd run again in 2024. "Fading into irrelevance," on the other hand, is something I never have and never will associate with Trump.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Yes, he has an ego the size of the moon, he will run again unless he is 6 ft under or in jail.

[MarkD]

- snip -
He was saying that to [Raffensperger] because he has to say he’s won to justify finding the “lost” votes for him. It makes no sense to say I’ve lost, find me votes. As a tactic, it also forces BR et al to go “yes sir, we know you won,” thereby further cementing his hold over party officials. Of course BR did not comply, so now he’s persona non grata.

He also said the same thing in 2016 - that he would lose a rigged election - to justify his impending loss. But then he won.

You still haven't convinced me that I have misinterpreted Trump.

Yes, he has an ego the size of the moon, he will run again unless he is 6 ft under or in jail.

Here's to hoping he's in jail. I very strongly hope that, upon being afforded due process of law, he gets thrown in jail.

[Former Crackhead Mike Lindell]

I was anticipating Trump 24 BEFORE the election

It's the prosecution angle that clinches it for me. If it gives him *any* cover, then he'll be a 'candidate'. Whether he ever eventually files any paperwork, or if it's just a perma-tease. There's no way Trump will be completely out of the picture for 2024.

Him becoming a media recluse and us never hearing from him again is a nice fantasy too, but I don't see it. He has a voice, and he'll use it. And he'll hint at '24. Possibly even beginning with his concession speech.

He always says he never rules anything out!

Or he just wins again this year. Who knows.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Weird question. He has been running

[Mister Mets]

Yes. Once it turned out the election was pretty close in the swing states, a 2024 run seemed to be a significant possibility.

[dw93]

No. The Presidency was the first time in his life that Trump had any meaningful responsibility in his life  and once he was truly tested with it, he failed miserably and paid the price (though not as big of a price as initially thought), so I honestly didn't think he'd want to assume that responsibility again.

A bruised ego and stockholm syndrome among the rank and file of the GOP is much stronger than I thought they'd be.