With the presidential election gearing up for the following year, Americans wonder whether the GOP debates will provide new candidates a chance at the Republican nomination or if Trump will attempt to return to the Oval Office.
While the Democrats are fielding only three candidates, the Republican side currently holds 14 candidates vying for the nomination. From entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to seasoned politicians like DeSantis and Mike Pence, the contenders continue to debate topics such as abortion, immigration laws, and Ukraine.
“It’s great that there are so many candidates in the GOP debate, with different backgrounds and perspectives, but Trump’s large popularity on the internet and campaigning makes it feel like he will run again,” said Justin Choi (‘25).
Over the last few months, Trump has been the center of controversy surrounding his criminal indications. Contenders for the nomination are targeting Trump’s public image through the debates, but the support of the previous president stays strong in the Republican Party.
“I think his base of support is enough to give him the nomination unless he gets convicted of the most serious charge, which is dealing with election interference in Georgia. I think that would chip away at him and his support because that would potentially include jail time, which might be enough to push voters in the party to vote for somebody else or support somebody else,” said Christopher Murphy, AV U.S. History Teacher.
GOP candidates, including Trump, will face new variables that may change the current standings. Facing the Georgia convictions to personal health problems, the coming few months may have large consequences on the presidential election.
“Both leading candidates are old and while Biden is only a little bit older, he looks a lot older. It’s not totally unthinkable that between now and election day, there could be health problems for one or both candidates just given their relative age. Obviously, that would change the landscape for the Democrats and maybe less so for Republicans due to them having so many candidates,” said Murphy.
While Trump’s overall large support still stands against the remarks of the GOP candidates, the potential changes of the nominee contenders could increase through campaigning and be further supported by Trump’s challenges with criminal charges.
