DONALD TRUMP used to say he was “tired of winning” but has finally admitted: “I’m getting a little bit tired of politics now.”
After a near two-hour turn on Wednesday evening, the ageing President was back in front of 10,000 true believers on Thursday night.
Ageing US President Donald Trump finally admitted: ‘I’m getting a little bit tired of politics now’ Credit: AFP
Marco Rubio and JD Vance are in a Western-style ‘gunfight’ to eventually succeed Donald Trump
Half an hour into his planned ten-minute closing remarks of the Republican Party’s jazzy gathering in Dallas, Texas, The Don was in pensive mode.
He had just seen what we all witnessed in the giant arena: Life after him.
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Mocked by the Mad Mullahs of Iran, battered in the opinion polls back home and facing the prospect of being a lame duck come November, this impromptu convention to launch his party’s midterm election campaign felt a little like a last hurrah.
“Just pretend I’m on the ballot”, Trump begged two nights in a row, as he sought to breathe life into his party’s tricky prospects for crucial Senate and Congressional elections eight weeks away.
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The fate of his final two years in office hangs in the balance. If he retains his grip on Washington, he has promised the world — in the form of a $5,000 bung to every US citizen.
Should he lose, it will be a long 24 months cornered in the West Wing as his Democrat enemies use every tool in the shed to push and probe his legacy, family and businesses.
Six months into his “four to six week” war in the Middle East, Trump still insists his party must stick with him for a similar bounce to 2016 and 2024, when scores of down ticket nobodies were elected on his coat tails.
Plenty of candidates who steered well clear of the jamboree clearly disagree.
Obviously still loved in the convention hall, tanking approval ratings and a fading star quality are getting to our ratings-obsessed chum as he demanded a sworn pledge of loyalty from the crowd.
But they had just gone absolutely wild . . . for another man.
Vice President JD Vance, just 42, put in the performance of his admittedly short career.
His pacey primetime speech hit all the right buttons for the politicos and dispelled some — well deserved — pundit views that he is just, well, a bit weird.
The fate of Donald Trump’s final two years in office hangs in the balance Credit: Reuters
Vice President JD Vance has made clear that he has been against the war on Iran all along Credit: Getty
Having shed a few pounds and grown a few greys over the past year, Vance was relaxed, funny and fired up.
Dealing with a heckler so effortlessly some suggested it must have been a scripted plant, JD — as the room chanted — stepped up to the plate and, frankly, knocked it out the park as they say here.
Having endlessly let it be known he was against the war in Iran all along,
Vance’s speech went hard on disgruntled MAGA fans, mis-sold an America First isolationist dream, urging them not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater”.
Trump’s mealy mouthed midterm campaign riff, that the Republicans are mainstream compared to the now extremist woke left Democrats, was distilled far more clearly by Vance: “It’s common sense or the crazies.”
Though he chickened out of mentioning Iran by name, “don’t hand over the country to a bunch of crazy people just because you disagree with a policy decision”, landed exactly where JD aimed it.
While he got a thumbs-up from Trump at the end of the speech, the speed at which the No2 was rushed from the stage, not even to return for the sing-along and balloon-laden end-of-convention ceremonies, said it all.
I would not have wanted to be any other leading Republican eyeing a tilt at 2028, judging by the roar of that crowd.
If he retains his grip on Washington, Trump has promised a $5,000 bung to every US citizen Credit: Reuters
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested he has no intention of running against JD Vance Credit: EPA
For the first time there’s a real buzz around JD, which might explain why increasingly respected Secretary of State Marco Rubio has briefed that he has “no plans” to run against his close buddy.
While Texas Senator Ted Cruz is clearly eyeing another doomed bid, other floated candidates such as the berk-ish Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and loony tunes ex-intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard need to give their heads a wobble before getting into the race.
The consensus from behind the scenes in Texas is only the man Trump once derided as Lil’ Marco could upset the JD juggernaut.
At 55, Rubio is a spring chicken compared to recent Presidents but he still carries the scars from his 2016 bid.
It would be highly unusual for a sitting VP to seek the nomination for the top job and not get it, so there’s a pecking order to contend with and plenty of MAGA powerbrokers are already locked in for Vance.
While establishment Republicans and plenty of big donors are urging the smoother and more traditionally conservative Rubio to change his mind, some wise hands say he would have a stronger bid in 2032 should Vance shoot and miss in two years’ time. Which could well happen.
Barely a Senator before he was thrust into the White House, it’s going to take more than one decent speech and a powerful back story to prove Vance is ready for the big seat.
A few years ago he was calling Trump “Hitler”, now he acts like his boss is the second coming. One minute he’s the true isolationist, the next he is meddling in European politics.
Hyper-online, White House insiders are quick to warn of his occasional hotheadness.
Truth be told, the Republicans may have the making of a winner here but they don’t know for sure. Which is why anointing him Trump’s successor without a proper contest may spell disaster.
The big guy’s endorsement will certainly end the primary hopes of any other candidate but even Trump seems hesitant, publicly stating he is not sure who would be the best candidate between his VP and top diplomat.
Despite the cheers of the crowd, Trump was far from alone as the Republicans headed off from Texas for the stump . . .
