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Can Trump Return to the White House in 2025?

Can Trump Return to the White House in 2025?

Most pundits and political analysts (including this one) have put that prospect in the “no way in Hell” category. 

Most of us who have put Trump into the political rearview mirror have based our opinions of examining Trump – his personality … political track record … the fact that he has almost never had a popularity rating over 50 percent … has all sorts of legal problems, including being under criminal investigation … and is being under daily barrage of negative news reports by a maliciously biased media.

States that Trump needed to win to achieve his upset victory in 2016 – at least upsetting to those on the left – have shifted more to the Democrat side of the ledger.

But maybe putting Trump alone under the microscope does not tell the whole story.  After all, Trump was not exactly the most popular and admired guy in the world when he defeated Hillary Clinton, the Democrat establishment, the left-wing media, and a band of Republican apostates.

After four years of the most vicious attacks from the so-called loyal opposition … a two-year propaganda campaign falsely accusing him of conspiring with the Russians … one impeachment … Trump still won the votes of millions of Americans in a close 2020 presidential election – true no matter your opinion of the official outcome.

Now Trump has been impeached a second time – and has the Democrats and the left-wing media accusing him of leading an insurrection – an attempt to over through the 2020 election.  In fact, those on the left have spread their venomous propaganda to the entire Republican Party – with Trump leading an ongoing or prospective coup attempt.  According to the voices of the left (as heard daily on MSNBC), Trump is a threat to the Republic.  They even claim that he is a threat to democratic institutions across the globe.

And in terms of the court cases, the chickens are starting to roost.  His family business has been convicted of tax fraud – and find millions of dollars.  His Mar-a-Largo home has been raided.

With so much baggage, it would seem inconceivable that Trump could get elected to a school board in Mississippi.

But only at Trump does not provide a complete picture of how voters will respond to Trump’s run for a second term.  As dramatic as may be the facts surrounding Trump, perhaps we need to take a deep dive into the opposition.

Democrats made that mistake in 2016.  They relied on Trump’s shortcomings to be enough.  They failed to considered what the public thought of them – his opposition, and specifically Hillary Clinton.  I think it would be fair to say that Trump won because a LOT of voters could not stomach Hillary.  They chose the less-than-ideal Trump over an even more disliked Hillary.

Heading into 2024, is it POSSIBLE that Trump – with all his flaws and all his problems – could still be more desirable to a majority of voters than President Biden – or whomever the Democrats slate.  Looking only at Trump’s baggage, we have to consider not only what the voting public thinks about it, but also what they think about the Democrats and their policies – their baggage.

One could get the sense that the average voter may hate Trump less than the Democrats and their media allies.  The flood of anti-Trump, anti-Republican, anti-conservative news may leave the impression that there is widespread acceptance of those stories and perspectives.  For sure, propaganda media has its followers and its effects, but the public is able to see distinctions between political narratives and the truth.  As Lincoln noted, you cannot “fool all the people all the time.”

Left-wing arrogance tends to create a sense of superiority over what they describe as “low information voters.”  It is that arrogance – and the fact that the biased media cannot see outside its bubble – that led to Trump’s surprising 2016 victory.

An argument could be made that Democrats and the media are believing their own narratives – and not everyone in America is that gullible.  In many ways, the unrelenting and mendacious attacks on all things right of center have gone too far – and are resulting in a backlash that is helping Trump.

We can see some indicators of that.  Polls that once had Biden besting Trump in a 2024 contest have been shifting.  A recent Harvard poll actually shows Trump beating Biden.  Trump’s favorable rating tops Biden in some recent polls – and in those who show Biden with a higher favorable rating, the margin is slim and often within the margin of error.

If there is a Biden/Trump race in 2024, voters may again be presented with a choice of which candidate they dislike less.

And there are the policies.  Democrats have not been able to make their legislative successes widely popular with the American people.  It is a sort of national indifference.  Biden has not been able to sell them as the great accomplishments he claims them to be.  For the most part, the public seems to be unimpressed.

There also seems to be a shifting away from the hardcore left-wing agenda.  The nation may be getting weary of wokeness, identity politics, political correctness, gender fluidity, and the bogus narrative of epidemic racism.

Trump has been – and still is – seen as a disrupter of the establishment – and there is more anti-establishment sentiment among the public than Democrats may appreciate.  The confidence in the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, the FBI, and the national media are at all-time lows.  That reflects a lot of anti-establishment sentiment.

While I currently cling to my view that Trump will not be returning to the White House in 2025, I would not declare it an impossibility.  In many ways, his greater roadblock may be securing the Republican nomination.  And we do not know with any confidence who the opponents will be.

There is a lot of time between now and the 2024 presidential election – with a lot of critical issues to unfold in the meantime.  How will Trump come out on his legal issues?  How will the issues of crime, border security, the Ukraine War, and Biden’s personal problems (Hunter, classified documents, health) roll out with Republicans mounting investigations for the next couple years.

No time for predictions, but it would be foolhardy to count Trump out completely.

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

28 Comments

  1. Frank stetson

    Let’s do the time warp again…. “Now Trump has been impeached a second time…..”.

    Then again, you only talk about the one you love.

    Now that Trump is in the rearview mirror, now let’s talk Trump some more, again, forever Larry’s. (But he only likes the policies…Santos too, no need to replace that guy.

    Larry’s living the lie!.

    • larry Horist

      Frank Stetson… I hope you realize that your post makes no sense at all. You write three graphs — none of which makes any sense. You snipe if I do not write about Trump. You snipe if I do.. And closing that I am “living the lie” is nonsense and more an example of projection. And you can see that Chipper — for one — has seen your incessant attacks that reveal obsession over intellectual integrity. Why not give yourself a test. Try to take time off of responding to every word ai write — using your imagined Larry Horist as a mental cudgel with which to attack the real Larry Horist. Ignore me to see if you can. You may learn something in the effort.

      • Frank stetson

        You are still living the lie and now you elwant to cancel free speech like a good Republican cancel culture warrior. You’re not the boss of me.

    • Tom

      Ahhhh yes, I did enjoy The Rocky Horror Picture Show! I must confess I viewed it on the big screen several times and went to see it live. And yes, I did take my Bic lighter so I could “flick my Bic” during the song, “There’s a Light”! Aahhhhhh, nothing like the Glory Days of Bruce Springstein’s song.

      What publicists and news media types call “rear view mirror”, we gerontologists call “reminiscence”. The way I see the illusive rear view mirror, its not a digital 1 or 0 now you talk Trump now you don’t kind of thing. No, no, it’s an analog kind of thing where Trump gets smaller and smaller as distance increases over time. I would guess that right now, Trump is about 1 inch in the rear view mirror. But cut Larry a break. We older folks like to reminisce.

      But Larry is correct on a few things. 1) I voted Trump because of disgust over Hillary. Remember that commercial, who do you want to call at 3 a.m. with your emergency. Well, Benghazi called and Hillary fumbled horribly. 2) Trump does have a lot of fairly new baggage that could harm him. 3) Biden has some victories but they are mostly for minority and protected classes like LGBTQIA+++, Wokeism that mainstream that most Americans do not care about, and many are actually against like drag queen shows at military bases and public grade schools, etc. Americans reject Green stuff being forced on them which is backfiring with the latest being 300 windmills crashing to earth, green cars that are too expensive for most people, gasoline prices which are now back up to where they have never been at my station, food prices skyrocketing, energy cost to heat the home way up, border crisis in full bloom, memory issues, handler issues as to who is really running the government, Hunter and corruption of the Biden family, and of course running his mouth condemning Trump for classified documents when he has the same problem in multiple locations.

      By the way, did you know that the Chinese recently backed by loans the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro NC and Biden is attempting to rent it right now from the Chinese backed AHA to house unaccompanied minors crossing our border??? Yeah he plans to send thousands, 800 at a time, to us! NC is asking who is going to fund them since Medicaid is 50/50 Fed/State, we do not want our taxes increasing to fund them. And again, more Biden doing business with Chinese backed firms! And by the way, our legislators were not informed by the Biden Administration, they found out due to city government flagging it. See “https://floridianpress.com/2022/07/beijing-based-education-company-likely-cashing-in-on-u-s-border-crisis/”

      So you see, an independent voter will see Biden’s negatives as being bigger than Trump’s negatives. I think Larry’s point is well taken that Trump’s biggest challenge might be his own party and actually getting the nomination. Right now, I predict that in a rematch, if Biden continues they way he has been doing for his first two years, many Independents will go back to Trump and just take some pepto and gag. Again, the Independents are the largest voting block and they do not like what Biden is doing on many fronts. We are beginning to have buyer’s remorse.

      Reagan comes to mind here, “Its the economy stupid!” Dem game plan must be to control their left, and get a centrist moderate candidate in their, someone that thinks like Joe Manchin. Otherwise, Trump or DeSantis have a good chance of winning. If DeSantis enters the race and gets the GOP nod, my money will be on him just like it is on the Eagles to win the superbowl.

  2. Chipper

    I would love to see Trump back in the WH but unfortunately I could not stand four more years of listening to my partner ranting and raving on his hatred for Trump. Of course his favorite “news” source is MSNBC
    By the way, I wonder why Frank Stetson hasn’t pounced on Larry yet about this article; seems to be what he
    Lives for.

    • Chipper

      Damn!!! He beat me out.

      • frank stetson

        better out than off :>)

        just when I thought I was out, Larry drags me back……

        forget about it chipper, it’s just Trumpytown.

        and the famous Mickey in Rocky II: what are you waiting for, take this…..

    • larry Horist

      Chipper … As you can now see, Frank Stetson has not taken a pass at any time to attack and insult me in his inimitable obsessive, baseless and sophomoric manner. I assume that he address me in the third person because even he understands that I am not the Larry Horist he debates and refutes. It is that third person Larry Horist that is a figment of his imagination. Of course, his criticism ranges from wrong to irrational — and people like you can see the obsession. Since he spends soooo much time responding, one can only imagine his lonely and pitiful life. In a way, he is sort of an editorial stalker. He actually writes more on this site than I do — and I get paid. LOL.

      • Frank stetson

        Methinks the lady doth protest too much.

        Shoulda thought about that before you crossed the line ole snarky one.

        • Frank stetson

          Larry,

          Fo you even know what “ in the third person” even means?

          Here’s a buck, buy a clue.

          Oh fuck, here’s a good example. He. Larry, is full of she it.

  3. Floyd Rockwell

    It is clear to see more MR Horist is a typical ignorant anti Trumper. You need to come to the fly over states where common sense is a little more prevalent and see Trump signs still standing. Biden won by voter fraud. We don’t care about Trump’s personality. We care about a man who is a fighter and gets things done. Trump is the only man who can stand up to the deep state. Any other person will be devoured by the corrupt deep state. You can’t buy Trump. Name me any President who did so much good for this country with so much opposition fighting him every step of the way.

    • larry Horist

      Floyd Rockwell … You must be a new reader. I have voted for Trump twice and have praised many of his policies and defended him from unjust crap being thrown from the left. BUT I am not oblivious to his weaknesses and his needlessly pugnacious personality. I cannot defend his taking the docs from the White House. they are not legally his to keep. I also do not like that he turns on friends and supporters at whim. I know a lot of Trump voters who do not buy the left-wing crap, but will not be supporting Trump again for varied reasons.

  4. Lorraine E Blazich

    President Trump has been too badly damaged by the entire corporate press to ever win an election again. It is time for him to retire. Ron DeSantis would be a much better candidate for conservatives in the next presidential election.

  5. frank stetson

    Trump OWNS 25% of the Nation’s DEBT combined with the lowest GDP growth since Hoover, and we all know Hoover’s suck.

    There’s a reason you are so happy, he mortgaged your future just like he sold NJ down the river with AC.

    We didn’t fight him, we just stood up to do what is right. Try it sometime and maybe you can move beyond just being a flyover,.

  6. Darren

    It does not sound to me like Larry is against Trump.
    I feel he is pointing the obvious out for people who have not been completely on top of everything.
    Not just his haters accusations.
    With that said. Hell yes, Trump has my vote.
    He has put in the time of seeing all the B S that Washington has thrown at him and come out unfazed. Who better than Trump
    to be president. He is wiser as one learns from experience. Something Biden has never been able to accomplish.
    Was my life, or your life better when Trump was in office or are you enjoying things now like they are. And do not forget the DOOMSDAY
    CLOCK is closer now than ever before in history. Thank you again Biden. I have said it before and I will say it again, I do not care for everything that comes out of Trumps mouth, but he IS the best man for the job.

    • Frank stetson

      I dunno….gdp growth at 2.9% last quarter, unemployment at records low, wages up, stock market up, new factories, domestic batteries, solar panels, lots of new infrastructure projects, lower drug prices, covid cases down, etc

      Not perfect, not good for everyone, but better than Trump.

      Now, where’s my kevlar…..incoming.

      Well, one thing is the same: Larry. Timeless. Like a rock. Still smart as a brick.

      • larry Horist

        Frank Stetson … You would have been more spot on if you had stopped after “I dunno …” That summarizes it.

        • Frank stetson

          Larry, Why? Was something off? Or was everything spot on? Once again, lame attempt at humor, snark, no facts, all hat, no cow.

          But you don’t like his pugnacious personality…

          Yet the rest of his personality you are just OK with? What a stand up guy. Of course you think Santos is OK cuz he got voted in based on his policies.

          You accept these complete liars as long as they throw you your 30 pieces of silver.

          • larry Horist

            Frank Stetson … Once you tell me what I think — and employing lies to create the imaginary strawman Larry Horist of your obsessed mind. If you do not think you are obsessed check out all your comments. Despite the facts that I get LOTS of emails from many many sources — political, business, personal — on a regular basis, YOU are the number one contributor — because I get an email every time you post a comment. You comment all day … many times … long screeds of irrational snipes.. They are there when I wake in the morning, the arrived late a night. Every day — even on weekends and holidays. You write way more than I do — MANY times more than any other responder. I know you respond to other writers on this site. Is PBP your only hold on a sense of relevancy? Get a grip and get a life. I guess the only course of action is to go back to my New Year resolution and ignore your bickering rants,

    • larry Horist

      Darren … You get it. I am neither a constant critic or a cheerleader. Call ’em as I see ’em — from a longtime conservative perspective.

  7. Darren

    When one is forced to do things in life like needing solar panels or you freeze at nights, you get used to making lemon aid from lemon’s.
    When the Democrat’s get finished and you are forced to eat Bug Meat, I bet that Squirrel road kill
    will be on the menu at all your finer restaurants.

  8. Frank stetson

    No one is forcing solar on you.

    Under Trump, the vast majority of panels made on China. A few from Canada. Under Biden, we make in USA

    Squirrel that one away.

    Trump failed at replacing Obamacare. It was not easy in year one as promised and impossible for Trump as President. Biden has lowered prescription prices.

    Squirrel that one away too.

    • Chipper

      U obviously don’t take prescriptions.

      • Chipper

        I take 7 preps and my bill is about 30% higher in the last year.

        • Frank stetson

          Sucks to be you, sorry, expensive scripts suck. .

          The IRA begins in 2023 and only affects Medicare recipients for scripts. Yea for me in that I take a few exotic ones, specialty pills for normal diseases, so every little bit helps.

          He’s signed an eo to explore other options, hopefully help will come for you this year.

          I am pretty recent to medicare so my personal example is different, I paid a lot before retirement, now very little thanks to Part D supplemental.

          Re power, what utility are u referencing? Interesting.

          Nope, my electric bill is one of the shining stars during inflationary times. Regulated and all that. There was an uptick due to the heat wave last summer, but that is directly related to demand. The prices didn’t get much higher, just more demand. That’s why I’m surprised that you see such a direct correlation between lower demand and prices. Because there’s a regulatory entity sitting in the middle, it’s usually pretty hard for electric companies, and other utilities to jerk prices up.

          Additionally, since 2006, I’ve been pretty proactive about energy efficiency. Upgraded most infrastructure, moved off as much oil as possible, switched to as much reusable as possible. However, I use more power and generate more heat than ever. It’s rare when my living area is below 74°. Matter fact, 75 may be the average. I just like shorts and T-shirts even in New Jersey in the winter. I may be more efficient but I also indulge myself much more too.

          This year, I started switching to solar, powered Christmas lights. It makes me laugh and really cuts my winter bill. I was surprised. .

          Personally, I would be going all solar except the stupid state of New Jersey with all of its regulations, stipulations, and laws, puts a cap on how much power I can sell back to the power company as a private citizen. Basically, I cannot become my own little power company without becoming a power company. Otherwise, I would have a few acres of solar panels in already. As it is, I have none.

          But, rather than cut my nose to spite my face, this year I will once again look at the credits, discounts and kickbacks for putting in solar to see whether it’s a deal I just can’t refuse.

          Chances are, I will roll to an electric car before I put solar panels in. It’s a little more difficult for me and that I’ve got solar hot water on the roof already so I would have to put an installation somewhere else. My barn is in an excellent position but it means I have to be running a lot of wire underground. Therefore, car first, panels next.

          I hope you do make out given your opinions but I fear you are indeed, cutting your nose to spite your face. I have yet to be more energy efficient that it hasn’t affected my bottom line in a positive way. May take 12 months, but really more than that to turn a profit.

          Good luck.,

          • Frank stetson

            Darren, point is, I am not sure that being more efficient means using less. I tend to become more efficient while using more at the same time. It does result of me spending less money, but not due to less consumption. What is the opposite. I drive more, turn on more lights, keep my temperature higher, do you name it… More, more, more.

            Obviously, my anecdote does not a statistic match but I still wonder whether your opinion is correct or not. I am pretty sure usage will continue to rise no matter what efficiencies are put in place. That’s my opinion.

  9. Darren

    That is correct, just make more money and give it to the utilities.
    My benefit is were?
    Cheaper power means I do not need solar.
    As what happened in the past, the more people that use solar, the less the power company makes.
    Now they raise rates because they supply less.
    Everything comes with a price.
    A few years ago our utility company took a loss. So the Govt just gave them money to make them whole again.
    I wish they would cover my company if that happened to me.
    The goal is to supply less and charge more! That is the money maker.
    Everything that has to do with generating power is B S**T. For every Kilowatt save, someone is going to pay the price.

  10. EUGEN

    TRUMP WAS THE BEST WE EVER HAD. IF WE ARE SMART AND TRY TO SAVE WHAT IS LEFT OF THIS COUNTRY AFTER BIDEN THE SENILE RUINED IT.WE NEED TO STAND UP FOR TRUMP 100%. UNLESS WE ARE COMMUNIST BY THEN OR SOCIALISTS.