In 2016, Donald Trump astonishingly won the Republican nomination and was successfully elected President of the United States, marking the beginning of his political career. However, in 2020, Joe Biden defeated Trump, turning American politics into a tragicomedy known as the "Presidential Apprentice." Despite losing exclusivity, Trump remained the media's focal point. During the Biden era, Americans often saw a split-screen effect, with one side showing Trump's latest antics and predicaments while the other side depicted other potential occurrences.
A recent event once again showcased this unfavorable practice. The Republican presidential primaries officially commenced, with eight promising candidates participating in the first national debate. However, former President Trump did not take part in the debate. Instead, he attempted to steal the spotlight by conducting a simultaneous interview with biased Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Although his debate received more coverage and attention than his counterparts' strategies, it existed in a manner detrimental to the former president in the split-screen moments.
Despite his absence, Trump emerged as the winner of this debate. The other candidates had no breakthrough moments and faced little criticism, allowing him to maintain an undisputed position as the party leader and frontrunner. Top competitors Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie found themselves in particularly unfavorable positions. Political novice Vivek Ramaswamy continued to gain popularity among staunch Trump supporters by taking the most extreme stances against many of their preferred targets. The performances of the other four candidates were relatively poor.
Some practices within the Republican Party highlight how extreme they are compared to almost all mainstream conservative parties in other Western countries. However, when the moderator asked which candidates among them would support Trump even if he were both the party nominee and a criminal, only two refused. This question itself indicates that the Republican Party, its media allies, and a broader spectrum of American conservative voters now have to face a very real possibility: Trump may be tried and convicted before the 2024 presidential election.
For the Republican Party, this means that this popular candidate is highly unlikely to win widespread public support. For Trump personally, it means that he is highly likely to end up being imprisoned. This poses a headache because, as a former president, Trump is entitled to lifelong protection from the Secret Service. Nevertheless, the enduring image of his distressed face in last week's persistent split-screen of American politics undoubtedly indicates his heightened anxiety.