Inside the Beltway: 2024 presidential race seems like the old times of 2016

NEWS AND OPINION:

It’s been seven years since the 2016 presidential election, which landed Republican hopeful Donald Trump in the White House. He may end up returning to the White House in 2024 if certain “underlying dynamics” continue to sway voters in Mr. Trump’s favor, according to New York Times columnist Ross Douthat.

His latest column was titled “It’s beginning to feel a lot like 2016 again,” and it offered examples of those helpful dynamics — which include a “mismatch between cultural conservatism and the anti-Trump donor class” plus a sense among certain Republicans that Mr. Trump already has an “unstoppable momentum” as the election approaches which could boost his return to the highest office.

“Then, the final returning dynamic: The media still wants Trump. This is not offered as an excuse for GOP primary voters choosing him; if the former president is renominated in spite of all his sins, it’s ultimately on them and them alone,” Mr. Douthat wrote in the column, which also noted the media’s tepid coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“I still feel a certain vibe, in the eager coverage of DeSantis’s sag, suggesting that at some half-conscious level the mainstream press really wants the Trump return. They want to enjoy the Trump ratings, they want the GOP defined by Trumpism while they define themselves as democracy’s defenders,” he said.

“And so Trump’s rivals will have to struggle, not only against the wattage of the man himself, but also against an impulse already apparent — to call the race for Trump before a single vote is cast,” Mr. Douthat concluded in the column, which was published Saturday.

A STARK MESSAGE

Meanwhile, here’s the latest campaign message from the aforementioned Donald Trump’s campaign, shared with Inside the Beltway on Sunday afternoon:

“The 2024 Biden campaign slogan is ‘finish the job.’ Finish the job means America will be finished by 2029,” the written message warned.

“Our southern border will no longer exist. Inflation will destroy the U.S. dollar. Our God-given rights will be lost. Our enemies will plot our demise. 2024 is our final chance to save America,” the message said.

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

An ABC News poll released Sunday had some promising news for former President Donald Trump and his chances against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and here it is.

“Trump outperforms his in-party rivals at this early stage of the 2024 contest. In an open-ended question, 43% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents say they’d like to see the party nominate Trump for president next year, and when the six best-known candidates are named, he advances to 51%. That’s double the preference for his nearest potential opponent, DeSantis, at 25%,” the poll analysis said.

Things are not so promising for President Biden in the meantime.

“Just 36% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents would like to see their party nominate Biden for president next year,” the poll also said, noting that 58% of the respondents percent prefer “someone other than Biden” in the race — a sentiment that has been unchanged since February.

What about an actual bout between the former and the current president?

“Looking ahead to November 2024, in a Biden-Trump matchup, 44% of Americans say they’d definitely or probably vote for Trump, 38% for Biden, with 12% undecided. When the undecideds are asked how they lean, it’s 49-42%, Trump-Biden,” the poll said.

This ABC News/Washington Post poll of 1.006 U.S. adults was conducted April 28-May 3.

AN EYEWITNESS

A Texas lawmaker offers her own report on the current situation at the southern U.S. border, which grows more acute by the day. Title 42 — an immigration policy which allowed to deport asylum seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic — will expire Thursday.

“What can you tell us about the happenings on the ground right now ahead of Title 42 going away?” Fox News host Maria Bartiromo asked Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Republican whose district includes part of the Rio Grande Valley on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“What’s about to happen is going to be a catastrophe of epic proportions. Just in the last two weeks of April, we had in the Rio Grande Valley Sector — which is just one of nine sectors — 30,000 illegal immigrants crossed our border, 20,000 just in Brownsville,” Ms. De La Cruz replied.

She noted that both local manpower and helpful technology are both “stressed” in the region.

“This lifting of Title 42 will be a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions here in the Rio Grande Valley,” she continued.

“Over the last two years, Joe Biden has shown that he has an open border policy. So he has basically invited people from all over the world to come to our border. With Title 42 lifting on May 11, this is just another sign that the border is open. The message across the world is that 30,000 illegal immigrants can cross in just one sector alone is terrifying,” Ms. De La Cruz advised.

IN CASE YOU WONDERED

The coronation of King Charles III was watched by an audience of more than 19 million viewers in the U.K., according to Deadline.com, a news organization that covers media-related fare and all things Hollywood.

“The 19 million total falls well short of the 28 million peak for Queen Elizabeth II‘s funeral last year,” Deadline said.

It also noted that the final figures did not include “those who watched in public spaces, such as pubs.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 19% of Americans are “very worried” about the safety of money they have deposited in banks and other financial institutions; 21% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 13% of Democrats agree.

• 20% of women and 17% of men also agree.

• 29% overall are “moderately worried” about the safety of money they have deposited; 34% of Republicans, 30% of independents and 23% of Democrats agree.

• 28% of women and 29% of men also agree.

• 30% of Americans are “not too worried” about their deposits; 27% of Republicans, 27% of independents and 37% of Democrats agree.

• 32% of women and 28% of men also agree.

• 20% overall are “not worried at all”; 17% of Republicans, 20% of independents and 24% of Democrats agree.

• 17% of women and 24% of men also agree.

SOURCE: A Gallup poll of 1,013 U.S. adults conducted April 3-25 and released Thursday.