Trump’s third presidential run is
widely believed to have gotten off to a slow start. His opening speech was described as listless, and Trump has been doing few events since.
But perhaps even worse for the 45th president, the 2022 midterm elections were widely considered a rebuke of Trump and Trumpism.
In swing states especially, candidates who went along with lies about a stolen election went down to defeat, as did many low-quality candidates who owed their nominations to Trump’s support, led by Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker.
Governors who are Trump enemies, led by California’s Gavin Newsom and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, were re-elected easily. Overall, the electorate did not behave as if they are in the mood for a Trump restoration. Gov.
Ron DeSantis of Florida, seen as the most prominent Trump alternative in the potential 2024 field, also cruised to re-election, and many Republican
donors are looking more to him than Trump.