News Breakdown: The 2024 Presidential Election—a Repeat of 2020?

By Alexis Trifon

On Wednesday, May 10, former President Donald Trump kicked off the 2024 presidential election cycle by hosting the first town hall. This town hall had several unique aspects, including being broadcast on CNN and featuring a predominantly Trump-supporting audience. Additionally, the town hall was held at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, and was moderated by CNN's Kaitlan Collins.

According to CNN, the night yielded eight takeaways: Trump dismissed E. Jean Carroll and the jury that found him guilty of sexual abuse and defamation; the GOP might allow a default on the debt ceiling; no definitive response was given regarding a federal abortion ban; a promise was made to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict within "24 hours"; Trump expressed intentions to pardon a majority of the January 6th insurrectionists; the return of his administration's strict immigration policy was pledged; and he maintains that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

But there was one prevailing message that rang loud and clear: this was not a new Trump; we had witnessed this before. The parallels to 2020 and, by extension, 2016 were clear. This leaves the question of whether 2024 will be a repeat of 2020. I think so.

We are already seeing a hostile dialogue between Trump and President Joe Biden. If Trump secures the nomination, this will surely continue. As of now, Trump and Ron DeSantis are the frontrunners for the GOP nomination. DeSantis has a decent shot at getting the nomination, too. Following the town hall, eight people from the audience were interviewed about their perspectives on Trump's performance. All of them agreed that their opinions on Trump remained unchanged, and interestingly, only one individual expressed their readiness to vote for him again.

This lack of enthusiasm, though, seems to be universal across the political spectrum. In a recent NBC News poll, it was revealed that 70% of Americans oppose Biden's re-election bid, with half of them specifically pointing to his age as a significant factor. It is important to note that Biden is only four years older than Trump.

In conclusion, most voters feel discouraged and indifferent about the current situation; they do not have a candidate to confide in. If 2024 proves to be a repeat of 2020, which at this point seems likely, it is unclear what will happen. Other candidates from both parties, such as Democrat Marianne Williamson and Republicans like Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, have the potential to shake things up. This race holds significance for everyone! With the opportunity for multiple candidates ahead of the primaries, it can capture the attention of otherwise estranged voters.

Life with Lex urges you to take initiative and become familiar with the various candidates. Above all, exercise your right to vote when the time comes! We will continue to keep the Life with Lex community updated on the election via articles and our Instagram, @lifewithlex.blog.

Resources to Help:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/10/politics/takeaways-trump-town-hall-cnn/index.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/first-read/bidens-silver-lining-poll-shows-s-popular-trump-rcna81089#

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/02/19/knight-nonvoter-study-decoding-2020-election-wild-card-115796

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/the-americas/what-is-allan-lichtman-s-prediction-for-the-2024-us-presidential-election-1.1109868