Virginia was the first to fall into Donald Trump's lap. Then, the states followed one another on a dull Super Tuesday, March 5. American news channels tried to liven up this traditional primary season climax with maps, dramatic banners and updated data. But the outcome was clear: Joe Biden and Trump were cruising toward the nomination, each in his own lane, free of hurdles.
Trump, who was expected to count on 893 delegates at the end of the night, could reach the winning threshold of 1,215 delegates by mid-March. The prospect of another face-off between the 81-year-old Democratic president and his 77-year-old predecessor can no longer be seriously challenged at the ballot box, to the regret of a clear majority of Americans.
Trump had a triumphant evening. Beyond his successive victories, it's the margins that tell the story of his total stranglehold on the Republican electorate. In strongly conservative states such as Alabama, Tennessee and Oklahoma, he scored over 70%, inflicting a humiliating defeat on his opponent, former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. Also in Texas and California, the two states with the most delegates, he managed to surpass this symbolic milestone.
But this Trump wave says nothing about the state of the country; above all, it confirms the definitive mutation of the Grand Old Party (GOP), taken over at the grassroots level by the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Trump's vulnerabilities have been identified. Part of Haley's electorate refuses to contemplate voting for him in November, even if it's hard to predict how many would defect come Election Day.
On the eve of Super Tuesday, Trump began to polish his language. He repeated the exercise on Tuesday evening. "Success will bring unity to our country," he said. It sounded less like a promise than an admission of weakness. The ex-president's personality, his 91 charges in four cases and his promise to be a "dictator" on his first day in office are fuelling a strong backlash against his candidacy. Biden suffers from his age and frailty. Trump suffers from being Trump.
While the ex-president's dominance is impressive in rural areas, he struggled more in certain coveted urban areas that will be decisive in November, such as Richmond, Virginia: His margin of victory in this state appeared to be well below that predicted by the polls. Trump even lost a moderate state, Vermont, offering a consolation prize of sorts to Haley.
In his speech on Tuesday, Trump, tired and weary, congratulated himself on an "amazing night." Without a single mention of his Republican rival, he went over his favorite themes, emphasizing the migration crisis and disseminating lies about the state of the country and his own record. According to Trump, even the stock market's good fortunes are due to the fact that he has much higher poll ratings than Biden.
You have 43.94% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.