DV Journal

Daria Novak described herself as a strong Donald Trump supporter in 2016, so much so that as the Republican nominee for Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District that year, she put Trump’s name above her own on campaign signs.

While she admires the accomplishments of Trump’s four years in office, she’s uncertain about another four years.

“In recent months, conservatives are split approaching the presidential election,” Novak said. “It’s not about a single man but it’s about a movement. The conservative movement is bigger than one individual.”

Trump is the only declared 2024 presidential candidate, seeking a non-consecutive second term in office. That’s a stark contrast to 2015 when Trump waited for a large field of declared Republican candidates before entering the 2016 sweepstakes.

What’s not different is that, like in 2015 and 2016, Trump has made some missteps since announcing his candidacy last November that might be politically fatal to other politicians. Despite that, he cruised to the nomination and won a shocking general election victory. The question is, “Will he have the capacity to do so again in 2024?”

Novak is not certain Trump will have the same level of Republican support for his third presidential run. “There were great results from the Trump presidency, but there were also negatives to his presidency,” she said. “Some are tired of Trump’s high level of tension.”

Mike Domanico, owner of the Trump Store in Bensalem said, “The Trump base is more supportive than ever. The country has been going in the wrong direction since day one of the Biden administration. People are saying they have had enough and are looking forward to 2024 if we make it that long.”

Bruce Breton, the co-chairman of Trump’s campaigns in New Hampshire, doesn’t see waning support for the 45th president. “Trump will be the top vote-getter and prevail in the primaries if he doesn’t clear the Republican field first,” Breton predicted.

Just as Trump defied naysayers in 2016, Breton said he would win another general election. “Under the Trump administration, we had low inflation, low gas prices, 401(k)s were up, and people were prosperous,” Breton said. “People will remember the policies and procedures of the Trump administration and that will impact both the primary polls and the national election.”

A recent Morning Consult poll has both good and bad news for the Trump campaign. The good news is Trump’s margin among potential primary voters, 48 percent to 31 percent, over his closest competitor, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. The bad news is Trump is below 50 percent as a former president and two-time nominee for his party, even before the campaigning begins.

Meanwhile, since declaring his candidacy, Trump has given his critics fodder.

In November, entertainer Kanye West came to dinner at Mar-a-Lago and brought uninvited guests — provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and White nationalist Nick Fuentes. Trump, expecting West, was reportedly furious about the other two.

This is not likely to have any long-term consequences, Breton said. “Unfortunately, Trump doesn’t personally screen everyone that comes to Mar-a-Lago. I blame Kanye West for that.”

In December, Trump brought up the 2020 election and declared, “A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.” Not a popular stance among pro-Constitution conservatives.

In a January social media post, Trump also launched a full-throated attack on pro-life voters, a key part of the Trump coalition in his 2016 victory. “It wasn’t my fault that the Republicans didn’t live up to expectations in the MidTerms,” Trump wrote. “It was the ‘abortion issue,’ poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother, that lost large numbers of Voters.”

Breton doesn’t anticipate Trump will lose the pro-life base after being the president most responsible for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision. “That was just Trump being Trump,” Breton said.

Pro-life activists disagree. “Trump is way out of line here on life. He does not have a pulse on where his potential base is — as many believed he has in the past,” tweeted Lila Rose, leader of the pro-life group Live Action. “This kind of nonsense will be a losing political strategy for him.”

On another front, Trump endorsed House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker. Then after the third round of voting, Trump issued another endorsement for McCarthy, trying to convince Republicans to “TAKE THE VICTORY” in another social media post. Yet, the House still went through 14 rounds of voting before McCarthy was elected.

“We needed reforms that the Freedom Caucus pushed,” Novak said. “Whether this shows the level Trump has over Republicans is questionable.”

It’s worth remembering that since 2015, Trump’s critics have labeled every unconventional move by Trump as the end of his political career, Breton said.

Richard Booker, former Radnor commissioner and school board member, believes the Republican base still supports Trump.

“While there are some who are now off of the ‘Trump Train’ due to the performance in the mid-terms, I don’t think that group is a significant percentage of the Republican base,” said Booker.  “Moreover, the mid-terms were not as bad as the legacy media makes out.  Most Trump backed candidates did well.  The poor results in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia Senate races were unfortunate. However, the GOP had significantly more seats to defend this cycle than the Democrats.  (The Democrats will have to defend many more than Republicans in the next cycle, and I believe that there will be significantly better results for the GOP then).

“I will support whomever comes out of the Republican primary,” Booker added.  “My prediction is that Trump will win the Republican primary if he stays in the race until the end.   In addition, most Republican voters recognize, that Trump is the only candidate who will aggressively enforce the border.  There are other great candidates in the GOP vying for the Presidency, however, Trump is uniquely experienced (and would be limited to only four years).

“In the end, the GOP will coalesce around Trump if he is able to beat down the many lawsuits and investigations that he faces, and make it to the end of the primary.  My opinion is that he has a very good chance to win again if he gets to the general election.  Media collusion, vote harvesting and other dubious election practices (see for example, the 2020 Time election article and Mollie Hemingway’s book “Rigged”) will be his biggest obstacles.”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

Gabby Deardorff of Royersford and some 100 fellow John Fetterman supporters were gathered at Imprint Brewing, a brewpub in Hatfield, Friday evening. They hoped to see the lieutenant governor and cheer his race for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination. Then a campaign aide made a brief announcement that the candidate wasn’t feeling well, and the event was canceled.

Some supporters stayed to have a beer and a bite to eat, taking a “these things happen” view of the news.

Fetterman revealed on Sunday he had suffered a stroke.

“The good news is I’m feeling much better and the doctors tell me that I didn’t suffer any cognitive damage,” said Fetterman. “I’m well on my way to a full recovery. So there is a lot to be thankful for.”

Deardorff told DVJournal Friday night she supports Fetterman “because he’s a progressive.”

“I’m frustrated with the Democratic Party catering to the moderate middle, and I think we need more progressive leaders.”

(From left) Chelsie Smith, Karen Weingarten and Gabby Deardorff

Deardorff and Upper Providence resident Karen Weingarten are both Springford Area School Board members. Fetterman recently came to one of their campaign events.

“I think (Fetterman) is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He came out to an event for us. He was really supportive of local politics,” Weingarten said. “He’s easy to talk to. When he spoke at our event, you could tell he was genuine and unscripted.”

“I’m supporting Gisele and Levi,” joked Chelsie Smith,  a reference Fetterman’s wife and dog. Fetterman “was a mayor of a small town, and he has seen local government and moved his way through and seen what we have in Harrisburg. He knows what we need in D.C. We need a progressive person. We can’t do middle-of-the-road anymore.”

Dennis Trainer

Richard Detwiler of Souderton Borough said he is impressed with Fetterman’s “ability to be a normal person.”

Sarah Detwiler and Richard Detwiler

“I’m supporting anybody who is running for Senate who is not a Republican,” said Detwiler. “We can’t stand by and watch the world go to Trump.” Detwiler added that he had been an independent for years because of the Vietnam War but decided to become a Democrat.

“There was no way I could vote for (the parties of) Johnson or Nixon,” he said.

His daughter, Sarah Detwiler of Philadelphia, said she supports Fetterman as well.

“He doesn’t represent the Democratic establishment,” she said. “He’s a real person, not a politician.”

Dennis Trainer of Glenside said, “I just think he’s a good guy.” Referencing Fetterman’s biography, Trainer added, “He’s compassionate. He came to Braddock because he lost a friend.” Eventually, he ran for mayor to confront the crime problem.

As Trainer spoke with DVJournal, a man who saw the word “veteran” on Trainer’s baseball cap approached and thanked him for his service. Trainer turned the cap around, revealing that it was a political message:

“Veteran of the Class War.”

Follow us on social media: Twitter: @DV_Journal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal