Donald Trump their candidate, acts III

By relying on an "instinct" always put forward, the one whose fall has been announced a thousand times is trying to rise again from his ashes, after a performance by his lieutenants deemed "disappointing" in the legislative elections on November 8.

- Fractures - 

Dropped by a large part of his camp after the incredible attack on Congress on January 6, 2021, the 76-year-old billionaire, the triumphant face of an uninhibited populism, has regained an undeniable hold on the Republican Party, whose he will claim the inauguration.

And beware of those who would like to block his way. The tempestuous septuagenarian with intriguing blond hair still works according to a simple principle: for or against him, without nuances.

At his luxurious residence in Mar-A-Lago, Florida, this former president has seen Republican candidates for the positions of elected official, governor, senator – proteges who swear absolute loyalty to him.

Conversely, on social networks, Donald Trump continues to deck out his detractors with his famous nicknames. US President Joe Biden? "Sleeping Joe". His Republican pet peeve Liz Cheney? A "madwoman".

Surrounded by investigations, on his role in the assault on the Capitol, the management of White House archives and his financial affairs, Donald Trump threw himself headlong into the campaign for the midterm elections, decrying a "witch hunt".

Both revealing and amplifying the fractures of America, Donald Trump had left the White House, leaving behind him a bruised nation, in full doubt and eaten away by anger.

- Non-standard -

Born in New York on June 14, 1946, educated in a military school, Donald J. Trump joined the family business after studying business.

Contrary to the legend he built for himself, there is nothing "self-made man" about him. After the Second World War, his father, Fred Trump, a descendant of a German immigrant, had already built an empire in New York by building buildings for the middle class in working-class neighborhoods.

Donald Trump took over the reins of the company in the 1970s with a solid financial boost from his father and carved out a place for himself in American homes thanks to the reality TV show "The Apprentice".

Came to power in November 2016 in an unprecedented political scenario that none - or almost - had predicted, the man with an imposing physique delivered during his four years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue the spectacle of a president not imposing any constraint, freeing itself from all norms, in the face of enthusiastic, dumbfounded or frightened Americans.

He is the only president to have twice suffered the infamy of an impeachment before Congress.

Father of five children born to three different women, ten times a grandfather, he never ceased during his mandate to praise family values ​​to attract the praise of evangelical circles, to whom he offered a victory resounding impact on abortion by overhauling the Supreme Court -- arguably one of his greatest legacies.

Across borders, he bullied US allies, engaged in an unpredictable escalation with Iran, displayed a disturbing fascination with authoritarian leaders from Vladimir Putin to Kim Jong Un, and delivered a brutal blow a brake on mobilization on the climate. All in the name of “America First”.

Two years after leaving power, this showman still knows how to talk to these Americans - mostly white, rather old - who feel disdained by the "elites", and whom he convinced by talking about "rapist" immigrants and the streets "soaked in blood".

Enough to qualify for a second term?

Deprived of his Twitter account, a megaphone with 80 million subscribers with which he announced pell-mell punitive customs tariffs against China and commented extensively on current events, the messages of the former tenant of the White House no longer have everything. exactly the same echo.

In campaign rallies, where the famous Make America Great Again red caps still abound, it is no longer exactly the crowd of the big days. Donald Trump, who continues to sketch small dance steps there, seems physically a little weakened.

Above all, the Republican "giant wave" promised by the ex-president in the last elections, and which he intended to use as a launching pad for a new candidacy, did not materialize. In return, part of the conservative nebula turned to another possible contender for the White House, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

The close family clan of the septuagenarian, on which he relied for a long time, also shows his first cracks.

In testimony before a parliamentary inquiry, his doting daughter Ivanka - one of his closest White House advisers - admitted to no longer believing the theory that the 2020 election was 'stolen' from the ex-president .

In his crusade against these supposed "frauds", never proven, this great wrestling fan now seems embittered, cynical, almost encysted.

He can still count on his loyal base, who have joined groups across the country promising to "protect" the next elections. In front of their homes, some hung a new flag: "Trump 2024: the rules have changed".