Reports that President Trump is seriously contemplating another run in 2024 are pretty flimsy on sourcing — “He has told confidants,” one Washington Post article said — so I’m not convinced there’s anything to them. But if there is, there are $1 billion worth of reasons that he shouldn’t.
First and foremost, the only way to view the results of this past election is not that Trump was beaten by Joe Biden, who didn’t even campaign for the job. More accurately, Trump was rejected by the voters. They decided they’d had enough of his presidency and were ready to move on to something else.
That’s nothing for Republicans to be upset about for long. They can learn from it, adopt the things about Trump’s campaign that worked (his policy positions), reject the things that didn’t (his too often childish behavior), and get ready for the next election.
Trump has nothing left to prove. He defied all odds and expectations, single-handedly revolutionized the Republican Party, changing it for the better, and proved that being hated by the media doesn’t matter, so long as people believe you have their interests at heart.
He never seemed to like the job anyway. That’s why all of his speeches on policy were delivered with the enthusiasm of a middle-school kid in detention reading the dictionary. By contrast, put in front of a crowd of his supporters at a rally, Trump was a flaming phoenix.
Trump retains the capacity to motivate crowds like no one else in the Republican Party, and he will influence the direction of the GOP for years to come, even after he dies. He is now a legend, and what could be better than that? Here’s one thing that isn’t such a great idea: running for president again.
Trump gets to leave office with millions of adoring fans. He can go enjoy that fame, make money with a score-settling book, go on TV to say what’s on his mind, and never have to worry about actually governing again.
He shouldn’t run for president again. There’s a better job and life for him on the horizon.
