On January 15th the 2024 Presidential election began with the Iowa Caucus. Since then voters across the country have sent in their ballots and these are the results.
As of right now, the election results are Donald Trump taking the lead with 1,863 delegates behind him and Nikki Haley, who has dropped out, at 94 delegates. Despite Trump facing 91 charges across 4 states, these results are hardly shocking as many people predicted his rise before the election. This begs the question, why are people still voting for an alleged criminal and what does his lead in the race mean for the country?
Throughout the election, Trump has won the most delegates in each state. He won 20 delegates in the Iowa caucus, 17 from the New Hampshire primary, 26 delegates from the Nevada primary and most recently 47 from the South Carolina primary. These results allow the public to know where the election is headed. In addition to the election, Trump is also seen to be going in and out of the courtrooms because of the criminal charges he is facing
It is no secret that Trump is facing a total of 91 criminal charges and if he is convicted could face a sentence of over 100 years. Generally, controversy like this would hinder the progress of a candidate’s political career, like with Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. With Trump, however, people have noticed the opposite. In fact, Trump’s support has actually increased despite the fact that he has not yet been in a presidential debate for the 2024 election.
Trump’s polling numbers have only increased since he was indicted on the charges. Many Republican voters likely view the indictments as a politically motivated move from Democrats to try and remove Trump as a candidate for president. A poll run by Quinnipiac University found that over 60% of Republican voters believe this. Voters on the right want to make sure his polling numbers are not affected by these charges and are more inclined to vote. While people on the left just want to ensure that someone facing these charges should not take office again.
During his presidency, Trump showed many cases where he abused the power that was given to him. One of which could be seen after the results of the 2020 election where Trump was seen inciting an insurrection at the Capitol during which 7 people lost their lives. After that, it was clear that the only thing that mattered to Trump was regaining the power that he once had.
It seems Trump has set an example for the way Republicans think they need to behave. Ever since Trump’s presidency, Republicans have become more difficult, especially in regards to bi-partisanship. Trying to come up with a proper deal to avoid a government shutdown has been an issue for more than half a year and this is in no small thanks to the Republican Party. Republicans insist on coming up with a deal that does not at all benefit Democrats and they are willing to go to great lengths to see that through. This is likely because of Trump and his stubborn habits that many Republicans have taken after.
Overall, it is looking like the chances of the current President Joe Biden and Donald Trump going against each other like they did in 2020 are certain. With Biden now having 3,045 delegates, more than 1,000 over Trump, the chances of him taking office again are strong. However, it is imperative to remember to go out and vote to ensure we don’t have another 4 years of Donald Trump.
