Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump announced that he will be running in the 2024 presidential election.
The news had not been made official before Tuesday, however many Americans were not surprised by this news. Political science assistant professor Talbot Andrews shared how she expected the announcement.
“I expected that he would do this. I will be more interested to see how other Republicans respond and to see what kind of momentum he gets this time around,” Andrews said.
During his campaigning period for the 2020 presidential election, Trump did not have much of a reputation in the political world, Andrews mentioned. Today however, nearly every American has a strong opinion on the former president.
Andrews explained how she has seen the portrayal of Trump in the media shift in the past several years.
“We’re seeing some news outlets cover Trump differently than in the past,” Andrews said. “A recent NPR headline listed him as the person who tried to overthrow the government Jan. 6.”
Coincidentally, Andrews also noted that the media is to blame for the rise of Trump as well as the popularity and attention his 2020 campaign got.
“The media is partially to blame for his power because they amplified his voice and gave him a platform by talking about him so much,” Andrews said.
In terms of future predictions for the 2024 presidential race, Andrews believes that President Biden will be the Democratic nominee. She mentioned though how the continued polarization and opposite nature of the Democratic and Republican parties leaves many voters confused.
“You can only vote for the people running, so if your choices are Joe Biden versus Donald Trump, there are a lot of people who fall in the middle that may not have a candidate that they’re excited about,” Andrews said.
Andrews said that she has hope for the future of U.S. democracy. She highlighted how studies have shown that current college-aged students and younger voters have expressed the want to make change through the government.
“There’s a lot of research showing that college students are special. You’re young enough that you haven’t been exposed to politics that much, you’re away from home probably for the first time and you’re learning new things about the world,” Andrews said. “You’re open to learning new information and open to change.”
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