By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com
In the highly unlikely event that Donald J. Trump decides to try once again to be elected president of the United States in 2024, I am left to wonder about how a potential foe might react to the idea of running — once more — against The Donald.
Sen. Ted Cruz wants to become president. The Texas Republican made an effort toward that end in 2016. Along the way he and the eventual GOP nominee Trump clashed repeatedly and harshly.
You remember — yes? — how Cruz of Texas referred to Trump as a “sniveling coward.” A “narcissist the likes of which we’ve never seen.” A “pathological liar.” How he was “amoral” and “unfit” for the office he sought. How about the lies that Trump spread about Cruz’s father allegedly being involved in President Kennedy’s murder? Or that ghastly Twitter image of Heidi Cruz, the wife of the senator? Let’s not forget Trump’s attempt at reviving the birther issue with Cruz, given that he was born in Canada to a woman who is a U.S. citizen, thus giving the youngster instant citizenship in the country he sought to govern as president.
Hey, that was good stuff, man! Then Trump got nominated. Then he got elected!
Cruz managed at that point to remake himself, turning from being one of Trump’s harshest critics to becoming a suck-up par excellence.
Trump has some serious obstacles standing in front of him were he to actually want to run for POTUS again. Hmm. What might they be? Maybe an indictment or two from prosecutors examining whether he violated campaign finance laws by paying the porn star some hush money regarding a tryst that Trump said didn’t occur. Or there might be an indictment involving his coercing and bullying Georgia election officials into trying to “find” enough votes to turn the state from a Biden win to a Trump victory.
Waiting in the wings are the likes of the Cruz Missile. How in the world does Cruz campaign for president against the former president who alternately vilified and then idolized?
The drama is likely to drive me nuts. Bring it!