Chronicle - Jan 21, 2024
Donald Trump Won Iowa
Former President Donald Trump achieved an extraordinary victory in the Iowa Republican caucuses on Jan 15, 2024, solidifying his influence within the party even as he faced numerous legal charges.
The ABCs of caucuses
The electoral process begins with primary elections and caucuses, two methods employed by states to select potential presidential nominees.
Primaries, organized by state and local governments, involve voting through a secret ballot. Some states hold "closed" primaries, allowing only declared party members to participate, while in "open" primaries, all voters, regardless of party affiliation, can participate.
Caucuses are exclusive gatherings organized by political parties and typically occur at the county, district, or precinct level. During these meetings, participants often align themselves based on their preferred candidate, and the number of voters in each group determines the delegates won by each candidate.
A state can choose either a primary or caucus as part of the presidential nomination process. Both methods allocate delegates based on the percentage of the vote received by candidates. At the national party convention, the candidate with the most delegates becomes the party's nominee.
Fewer states use caucuses compared to primaries, and Iowa consistently favors the caucus system for selecting presidential candidates.
Significant differences exist in the caucus procedures of Democrats and Republicans. The primary distinction is that in a Democratic caucus, participants create groups based on their favored presidential candidate, whereas in a Republican caucus, participants merely vote to indicate their support.
What happened at the Iowa caucuses?
The outcome of the Iowa Democratic caucuses is anticipated to be officially determined by Mar 5, 2024. In contrast, the Republican results were promptly disclosed last Monday, Jan 15, 2024.
Forty delegates from the Iowa Republican caucuses for the 2024 Republican National Convention will be distributed proportionally. Trump, having secured 51% of the vote, obtained 20 delegates, with 99% of the votes counted. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis secured slightly over 21%, narrowly edging out former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 19%. On the caucus night, Vivek Ramaswamy announced the suspension of his campaign and endorsed Trump.
In New Hampshire, the day following his triumph in the Iowa caucuses, Trump embraced the endorsement of Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy proclaimed, "And so we heard we the people last night. And that is why last evening, I met my friend here. We met in person, and I told him that I would endorse Donald J. Trump for president of the United States and do everything in my power to lead us to victory in this war."
Is Trump considering Ramaswamy as his VP candidate?
During the New Hampshire event, Trump subtly suggested that Ramaswamy might be involved in his cabinet in the near future.
Trump stated, "He's a fantastic guy. He's got something that's very special because he started off with a zippo and he ended up very strong. He did a great job. I was actually surprised when he called because he was doing well. And it's an honor to have his endorsement. He's going to be working with us, and he'll be working with us for a long time." As Ramaswamy exited the stage, the crowd was heard shouting, "VP, VP."
Other potential contenders for the VP position, compiled from various news sources, consist of Ben Carson (former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development), Byron Donalds (U.S. Rep. for Florida), Elise Stefanik (U.S. Rep. for New York), J. D. Vance (U.S. Sen. from Ohio), Kari Lake (U.S. Senate candidate in Arizona), Kristi Noem (Gov. of South Dakota), Marjorie Taylor Greene (U.S. Rep. for Georgia), Mike Pompeo (former U.S. Secretary of State), Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Gov. of Arkansas), and Tim Scott (U.S. Sen. from South Carolina).
Yet, there's a captivating development: Melania Trump supports the idea of selecting Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News star who parted ways with the network, to be Trump's prospective VP.
If Trump wins…
Are we edging closer to an autocratic system? Is Ukraine at risk of succumbing to Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression? Could Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalate tensions in Gaza? Is there a possibility that China might take action regarding Taiwan?
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, expressed his views on CNBC's Squawk Box during the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos, on Jan 17, 2024. Dimon remarked, "Just take a step back, and be honest. He was kind of right about NATO. He was kind of right about immigration, he grew the economy quite well. Trade. Tax reform worked. He was right about some of China."
On Jan 16, 2024, President Joe Biden shared on his X account (@JoeBiden), “Looks like Donald Trump just won Iowa. He’s the clear front runner on the other side at this point. But here’s the thing: this election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow.”
Despite Trump maintaining his frontrunner status, he faces escalating legal challenges. Both Colorado and Maine have excluded him from their primary ballot, citing allegations linked to the Jan 6, 2021, insurrection. However, uncertainty remains about the definition of "insurrection" and its applicability to a president. The federal Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing to review an appeal on Feb 8, 2024. Numerous experts anticipate that the disqualification might be overturned.
Another point of criticism for Trump is his use of language with increasingly authoritarian undertones. Around the midpoint of his speech during a campaign rally on Dec 16, 2023, in New Hampshire, he claimed that undocumented immigrants were "poisoning the blood of our country."
Yet, what factors contribute to the growing popularity of Trump?
Among his notable accomplishments were an unprecedented economic boom, tax relief for the middle class, extensive deregulation, fair and reciprocal trade, and achieving American energy independence.
On a global scale, Trump prioritized the values of life and religious liberty. He holds the distinction of being the first president to assemble a U.N. meeting addressing religious persecution, endorsed legislation aiding religious and ethnic groups targeted by ISIS for mass murder and genocide in Syria and Iraq, and initiated the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance—a pioneering alliance dedicated to addressing religious persecution worldwide.
The conclusion of Trump's presidency may be primarily recalled for its tumultuous events, but over his four years in office, lasting changes to American policy were quietly implemented. Beyond the attention-grabbing political drama and conflict, Trump and his administration indeed brought about transformations in some of the ways Washington operates.
Miss him yet?
This is the period of a challenging environment in which “the world's oldest democracy” presently exists. The U.S. stands as the sole country with a continuous democracy lasting over 200 years. Nonetheless, the U.S. has a remarkable history of overcoming challenges, and it may well do so once again in this instance.
Update (Jan 21, 2024)
Soon after the publication of this article, a recent development unfolded. Governor DeSantis withdraws from the presidential race and declares his support for Trump. He posts a video endorsement on his X account (@RonDeSantis), citing Winston Churchill: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."