Trump still calling the shots in the GOP?

SO IT’S true. Since that famous golden escalator rise on 16 June 2015, when that famous real estate tycoon and former television reality host kicked off his bid for the US presidency, many in the media, including your trusty reporter here, have been predicting his political demise, insisting that “there was no way” the Donald would survive the latest scandal. And winning the presidential election? Don’t make me laugh.

So it’s unlikely that you would encounter a political pundit in Washington these days who would be willing to bet even five bucks that former President Donald Trump wouldn’t run for president in 2024, that he wouldn’t be nominated by the Republican Party as its next presidential candidate, or that he wouldn’t be occupying the White House in 2025.

So don’t expect me to suggest that the former president intends to remain cocooned in his magnificent Mar-a-Lago estate in the Florida enclave of Palm Beach in the next two years and that he has given up his dreams of returning to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington in less than three years.