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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>The Republican Case Against Trump 2024</strong></span></h2>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Former President Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election; a very premature announcement and one that some in the Republican Party, like former Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, advised Trump to &ldquo;put on pause&rdquo; until after the Georgia Senate runoff election was completed.&nbsp;</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The idea behind asking Trump to delay his announcement was to avoid energizing Democratic turnout in the Georgia runoff.&nbsp; Of course, the former president did not heed this advice, and the Democrats won the Senate.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Why Trump Should Not Run in 2024</strong></span></h3>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The current political climate in America suggests that the national electorate has soured on Trump. Given all that has transpired with Trump since 2020 alone, there are many reasons why Republicans shouldn&rsquo;t nominate him for the 2024 presidential election.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The short version?&nbsp; His ineffective midterm performance, his growing unpopularity, his ego issues, his disregard for our Constitution and the rule of law, the damage he&rsquo;s caused our country, the damage he&rsquo;s caused the GOP, the division he&rsquo;s driven in our society, take your pick!</span></div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Outcomes of the 2022 midterm elections</strong></span></h3>
<div>Most candidates whom Trump handpicked and endorsed lost their elections in this year&rsquo;s midterms.&nbsp;</div>
<div>Some examples are:&nbsp;</div>
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<ul>
<li>Arizona Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake</li>
<li>Pennsylvania Gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano</li>
<li>Michigan Gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon</li>
<li>Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters.&nbsp;</li>
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<div>Meanwhile, Republicans whom Trump did not endorse, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, won their elections despite significant attacks from Trump ahead of the election.</div>
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<div>Based on this evidence, we can argue that voters don&rsquo;t want Trump close to their candidates and certainly don&rsquo;t want him on their ballot in 2024.</div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Lagging in polls</strong></span></h3>
<div>If the midterm elections were not enough proof that Trump should not run in 2024, his poll numbers provide further evidence.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Earlier this month, a USA Today/Suffolk University&nbsp;poll showed Trump lagging seven points behind Biden in a 2024 general election matchup and trailing Florida Gov. DeSantis by double digits in GOP primaries.&nbsp; Last month, a Club for Growth poll showed that Trump was behind DeSantis in Republican primary elections across multiple states.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Many Republicans who have soured on Trump are turning to DeSantis&mdash;believing that the Florida Governor would have a better shot of winning votes from Independents, moderates, and other crossover support necessary to win a general national election.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>During the 2020 presidential race, the national electorate rejected Trump. During the 2022&nbsp;midterms, the electorate rejected Trump&rsquo;s handpicked candidates.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>
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<div>To nominate the former president in 2024 would be an excellent way for the Republicans to lose another White House race.&nbsp;</div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Trump&rsquo;s Ego&hellip;&nbsp;</strong></span></h3>
<div>Leading up to the one-month anniversary of his 2024 presidential candidacy declaration, Trump teased that a &ldquo;special announcement&rdquo; was coming. Many Republicans thought this would pertain to Trump&rsquo;s candidacy, a potential Vice-Presidential pick, etc.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Instead, Trump released NFT trading cards for $99 each. The cards have the former president photoshopped onto the bodies of Superman, a rancher, an astronaut, etc.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>The cards were met with a collective Republican eye-roll and written off as egotistical, disappointing, and out of touch. It wasn&rsquo;t just anti-Trump Republicans who slammed the NFT trading card release either. Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Trump and an ongoing ally, also sounded off against this release.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Though what took the cake was the announcement video that accompanied the release of Trump&rsquo;s trading cards. During this video, the former president wildly declared himself to be &ldquo;better than&rdquo; former US Presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>It is unclear what metrics Trump used to determine that he&rsquo;s &ldquo;better than&rdquo; these two presidents. However, the assertion itself was deemed as egomaniacal and absurd.</div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Why Trump Should Be Disqualified from Holding Public Office</strong></span></h3>
<div>Earlier this month on Truth Social, Trump called for the termination of &ldquo;all&rdquo; the Constitution&rsquo;s &ldquo;rules, regulations, and articles.&rdquo;&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Trump made this call amid the release of Twitter emails that reveal how the story of Hunter Biden&rsquo;s laptop was handled during the 2020 presidential election.</div>
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<div>Nevertheless, when a president takes the oath of office, they vow to protect, defend, and uphold the Constitution upon being sworn in. Trump cannot have it both ways.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>A leader who believes any part of the Constitution should be &ldquo;terminated&rdquo; cannot also be expected to safeguard and abide by the rules of the Constitution. This, alone, should keep the former president from being able to run in the 2024 election.</div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Trump&rsquo;s Harm to the Country</strong></span></h3>
<div>All of this evidence excludes the most significant harm done to our country under the leadership of Donald Trump: the January 6th, 2021, Capitol riots.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>During these riots, Trump waited for hours before calling for the demonstrators to go home. As the riots were unfolding, Trump tweeted out that then-Vice President Mike Pence &ldquo;lacked the courage&rdquo; to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election, a suggestion that VP Pence correctly dismissed as it is not the duty of the Vice President to overturn certified election results.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>All these events have resulted in a division within the Republican party, with many critics warning that Trump is more concerned about his ego than he is about strengthening the Republican party and the United States.</div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Trump&rsquo;s Harm to the GOP</strong></span></h3>
<div>By the former president&rsquo;s admission, it irritates him that DeSantis will not come out and explicitly confirm that he won&rsquo;t run for president in 2024.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>At a campaign rally, days ahead of last month&rsquo;s Election Day, Trump ripped the Florida governor as &ldquo;Ron DeSanctimonious,&rdquo; triggering a backlash from many in the Republican Party who like DeSantis.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>On top of that, Trump also took an unprovoked shot at Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Like DeSantis, Youngkin hasn&rsquo;t said anything about Trump. However, that didn&rsquo;t stop the former president from claiming Youngkin&rsquo;s last name &ldquo;sounds Chinese&rdquo; and crediting himself for Youngkin&rsquo;s landmark win in the 2021 Virginia&nbsp;</div>
<div>Gubernatorial election.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Perhaps the most significant harm Trump has done to the country involves negatively impacting how others view the Republican Party and creating fractures within the party.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>These fractures make it more difficult for the GOP to unite, collectively win elections, and put its best foot forward in contrast to the Democrats.</div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Trump&rsquo;s 2024 Run and Its Impact on US Society</strong></span></h3>
<div>Lastly, we can examine Trump&rsquo;s impact on the political culture and society of the United States, a country with profoundly intensifying division. Earlier this year, a poll revealed that a sizable minority of the country believes another civil war could emerge within the next decade. Further, growing numbers of Americans view people with opposing political opinions as enemies or dangers to democracy.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Throughout all this, Trump has proven to further accelerate this division instead of leading the country to unite. This division involves not just pitting Democrats and Republicans against each other. It&rsquo;s also split the Republican Party into a pro-Trump wing vs. an anti-Trump wing.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Many pro-Trump Republicans accuse anti-Trump Republicans of being &ldquo;RINOs&rdquo; (Republicans in Name Only) or closeted Democrats. Anti-Trump Republicans are primarily fed up with what they deem to be unconditional worship of the former president.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Donald Trump consistently instigates negativity in our country and promotes division; whether it is Trump calling to terminate the Constitution, repeatedly (and falsely) suggesting that the 2020 election was &ldquo;stolen,&rdquo; stating that the media is the enemy of the people, or unleashing unhinged rants on social media platforms, it is evident that Trump&rsquo;s tendency to flare up negative emotions and fuel division will not dissipate.</div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>The Bottom Line</strong></span></h3>
<div>If the Republican Party is serious about winning the 2024 presidential election, it would be well-served to reject Trump as a GOP nominee.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>There are far better options in the race ahead. It speaks volumes that Trump, having already announced his candidacy, is losing in primary polls to DeSantis, who hasn&rsquo;t even confirmed that he plans to run in 2024.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>The Republican Party is at a crossroads. The GOP can either prioritize winning elections and delivering for the American people or stake their allegiance to former President Trump at all costs.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>The latter decision would be unwise.&nbsp;</div>

<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; color: rgb(67, 179, 174);"><strong>Donald J. Trump for President 2024</strong></span></h2>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I can&rsquo;t think of a heavier topic of conversation to jump right into, so hang on, here we go.&nbsp; First, I did not vote for Donald Trump in 2016; I did vote for him in 2020.&nbsp; I wasn&rsquo;t happy with Donald Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;win friends and influence people skills.&rdquo;&nbsp; However, his ability to get things done was truly impressive.&nbsp; No doubt he&rsquo;s very intelligent, and I suspect he enjoyed sparing with the press a bit more than the rest of us liked watching it.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;I have always, and I use that word intentionally, thought I wanted a businessperson for president.&nbsp; I wanted someone who had to sign paychecks and had the same type of experience that the position required.&nbsp; I wanted someone who had to balance budgets.&nbsp; Someone who had to pay taxes. Someone who had the experiences most of us has had to work our way through.&nbsp; I had a citizen&rsquo;s government in mind&mdash;the kind the framers of our constitutional government imagined.&nbsp; The citizen farmer goes to congress to serve a couple of terms, then returns home to live with the new rules, regulations, and laws they had implemented.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;When I was making my list of businessperson president skills, I failed to add the &lsquo;ability to navigate a bureaucratic system that is inherently flawed and riddled with redundancies no one understands.&rsquo;&nbsp; A system that does not reward the temporary citizen service but prefers the career politician and bureaucrat.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;It&rsquo;s still a good idea.&nbsp; The right person could make that work.&nbsp; Is the right person Donald J. Trump?</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;Donald Trump announced his intention to run for President of the United States of America on November 15, 2022. Not many people are ambivalent about Donald Trump. Love him, hate him, appreciate what he accomplished, or can&rsquo;t name an accomplishment. If nominated, would the accomplishments prevail, or is the court of public opinion still out on a second Trump presidency?</span></div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Should he be disqualified?</strong></span></h3>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The fact that we ask ourselves this question implies a need for more confidence. To date, no criminal or civil charges have been filed against Donald J. Trump that would disqualify him from office. The Tax Charges filed by the State of NY are not a class of felony that would disqualify him. Regarding January 6, 2021, and possible relevance to the Fourteenth Amendment.&nbsp; The amendment was written to prevent individuals who participated in the management and command of the civil war (and similar subsequent events) from being elected to federal office.&nbsp; At this time, January 6, 2021, events would not fall into this category. No legal disqualification appears to be in order at this time.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;In the court of public opinion, the jury is still out.&nbsp; The American people, the jury, will decide whether Donald J Trump should be disqualified.&nbsp; We will know the jury&rsquo;s decision; it&rsquo;s just going to be a while before that verdict is in.</span></div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>What harm or good has Donald Trump done to the country as President and after his Presidency?</strong></span></h3>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The American jury will also tell us what they thought about many other issues.&nbsp; Donald Trump negotiated Peace treaties, brought new vaccines to production in record time, negotiated trade agreements, withdrew from the Paris Climate Accords, and increased NATO members' participation in the common defense of Europe and other allies.&nbsp; The Trump Tax cuts increased our country&rsquo;s collected income and reduced the nation's poverty rate.&nbsp; All the above show a proper understanding of our macro world.&nbsp; Is it enough to give him another chance?</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">COVID.&nbsp;Frequently Donald Trump is accused of mishandling the COVID pandemic.&nbsp; Most of the criticism is centered around herd immunity vs. isolation, vaccines and therapeutics, and the impact COVID had on the U.S. economy. The vaccines were a medical achievement.&nbsp; It can take a long time to get through the rules and regulations of the federal government.&nbsp; If the vaccines had been developed, tested, and approved within the standard, ten to fifteen-year process, no one would have one today.&nbsp; Donald Trump used his business experience to get the vaccines through the process.&nbsp; Whether you like the vaccines or not, that was a production success.&nbsp; He was not anti-vax and also not anti-therapeutics.&nbsp; He was not anti-science.&nbsp; He was more of let&rsquo;s try &lsquo;all the above.&rsquo;&nbsp; The U.S. took an isolation course to deal with COVID; Sweden chose herd immunity. The U.S. shut down in many areas, imposed masking, and mandated vaccines.&nbsp; Sweden did not close, did not mandate masks, and offered but did not mandate vaccines.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">John Hopkin&rsquo;s coronavirus resource center, as of December 10, 2022, shows the fatality rate per 100,000 for the U.S. as 1.1%.&nbsp; The same table shows Sweden&rsquo;s fatality rate at 0.8%.&nbsp; Statistically, not much difference in the outcomes. If the U.S. had accepted the concept of combining herd immunity and vaccines, as Donald Trump advocated, could we have avoided shutting down our economy?&nbsp; Would our country be better off today if our children had stayed in school and our workers at their jobs?</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Paris Climate Accords - President Donald Trump withdrew U.S. support of the Paris Climate Accords.&nbsp; A 2017 study commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Council for Capital Formation found that the Paris climate accords could cost the economy 3 trillion dollars and 6.5 million industrial sector jobs by 2040.&nbsp; Whatever your thoughts on climate, President Trump thought the climate accords were a bad economic deal for the U.S.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">USMCA - United States &ndash; Mexico &ndash; Canada Trade Agreement USMCA. It was a good deal for all three countries.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">NATO - Trump was adamant in his desire to ensure NATO members contribute their fair share. NATO agreements require members to fund defense spending in their own country at 2% of their country&rsquo;s GDP.&nbsp; Information on Defense Expenditures &ndash; NATO states that in 2017 only four countries met this threshold.&nbsp; In 2022, ten countries are now meeting the requirement.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I liked the Trump Tax Cuts.&nbsp; If they are allowed to expire, many more people will also become aware of just how much they enjoyed the TCJA (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.)&nbsp; Our country&rsquo;s income increased with the tax cuts.&nbsp; Median household income increased.&nbsp; Although the top income earners saw their tax rate decrease, they also saw the deductions they were accustomed to decrease and sometimes disappear.&nbsp; Corporations experienced reductions in deductions and tax rates. Our tax code went from charging high-income earners and corporations more via a high tax rate to giving the tax collected back to them in deductions; to collect the tax, eliminate the deductions&mdash;a much simpler process resulting in more income for our country.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With limits on deductions, decreases in tax rates, and the ability to expense capital expenditures, we experienced a robust economic environment that accelerated job and wage growth. These are accomplishments.&nbsp; They show an individual with a macro worldview.&nbsp; Someone who is not afraid to act, question the status quo or call out that which is questionable.&nbsp; Are they enough?</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What about all the problems Donald Trump had with the press?&nbsp; The mudslinging, name-calling, misinformation, truth twisting, and all the rest (if you&rsquo;re pointing fingers, find a mirror). There wasn&rsquo;t an adult in the room during the Trump presidency, not in the oval or press office.&nbsp; I would have preferred a statesman, someone who could rise above the name-calling.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I expect more from the people I elect to public office.&nbsp; I expect more from the press I depend on to keep me informed.&nbsp; It hasn&rsquo;t stopped.&nbsp; Trump is not the president, and the vitriol has not stopped.&nbsp; If re-elected, I do not hold much hope for anything else.</span></div>
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<h3><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Should Donald Trump run for president?</strong></span></h3>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">He&rsquo;s already thrown the proverbial hat into the ring he's in. Should we nominate him as the Republican Party candidate? If he accomplished as much as he did, and it&rsquo;s his personality I don&rsquo;t like, does that disqualify him for President?&nbsp; It doesn&rsquo;t.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Did President Donald Trump accomplish many things in office?&nbsp; Yes, he did.&nbsp; Our country is in better shape financially because of the TCJA. Our world is safer because he insisted the NATO countries increase defense spending.&nbsp; In the middle east, the State of Israel signed the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.&nbsp; USMCA is a good trade agreement that benefits all three countries.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Donald Trump led a team of professionals to combat COVID with the best information we had available at the time.&nbsp; The vaccines were brought to the public as quickly as our medical establishment thought it could be done.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Donald Trump certainly meets my business person president criteria.&nbsp; He has signed paychecks and paid taxes.&nbsp; He eliminated eight old regulations from the Federal Register for every new regulation added. Donald J. Trump should run for President of the United States in 2024. His record indicates a fundamental understanding of the world stage and how the U.S. fits into it.</span></div>

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