Despite his unpopularity among the American electorate, dozens of felony convictions and a failed coup attempt, Donald Trump still managed to not only win the Electoral College but also the national popular vote. One former Republican White House staffer is offering three main reasons why Trump defied the odds in 2024.In a Friday essay for the Atlantic, David Frum — who was a speechwriter for former President George W. Bush — noted Trump “waged a relentless campaign against any and all rules that restrained him” in his third bid for the presidency. He also pointed out that Trump notched three “all-important successes” that paved the way for his eventual November 5 victory.”First, he frightened [President Joe] Biden administration’s Justice Department away from holding him to account in courts of law in any timely way,” Frum wrote. “Second, he persuaded the courts themselves — including, ultimately, the Supreme Court — to invent new doctrines of presidential immunity to shield him.”READ MORE: ‘Going to pay a lot more’: Here’s how Trump’s deportations will lead to huge tax increases”Third, he broke all internal resistance within the Republican Party to his lawless actions,” he continued. “Republican officeholders, donors and influencers who had once decried the January 6 attempted coup as utterly and permanently debarring — one by one, Trump brought them to heel.”As if to illustrate Frum’s point, Trump’s sentencing in the New York hush money cover-up case has now been indefinitely postponed. Judge Juan Merchan issued a one-page ruling on Friday announcing that the late November sentencing date for Trump’s 34 felony convictions had been scuttled, and did not announce a new date. His two federal cases will likely be officially dismissed once Trump takes office on January 20, and his Fulton County, Georgia election interference trial will likely be delayed until 2029, after Trump’s final term ends.Frum observed that because American institutions and the courts failed to hold Trump accountable, whether the ex-president (and now president-elect) would ever face any consequences for his actions ultimately came down to the election. He opined that regardless of how the American electorate may have felt about the importance of preserving democracy, a majority of voters viewed the economy as a higher priority — hence Trump winning with voters who ranked that issue as the most important. “So the ancient struggle resumes again: progress against reaction, dignity against domination, commerce against predation, stewardship against spoliation, global responsibility against national chauvinism,” Frum wrote. “No quitting.”READ MORE: Day one: Trump planning ‘largest mass deportation operation’Click here to read Frum’s essay in its entirety (subscription required).
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