Who will be the first to take on Trump?

As Donald Trump's fortunes continue to wane, the big question now is: which Republican is going to be brave enough to throw his or her hat in the ring and announce a campaign for the White House? There are lots of names around but no one has yet come forward to take on Trump following his formal announcement soon after the midterm elections were over that he is standing again. Until now the impression given within the Republican party was that Trump was a leader to be feared and that anyone confronting him for the White House race would be obliterated. There is no qustion that Trump is a formidable politician and although I have never met him or even stood in the same room as Trump I can well imagine that he is pretty scary. He has the look and self-assurance of the biggest bully in the playground. But now things are changing. Quite dramatically. Trump is no longer seen or feared as the rampaging winner. He has suffered so many losses in recent weeks and is facing so many legal challenges over the next few months - the declaration by the Supreme Court that his tax returns must be handed over to Congress being the latest setback - that he looks more like a wounded buffalo surrounded by predators than the king of the jungle. His rivals in the Republican party have yet to come out formally but all of them have been hinting about the way things are going and, most importantly, emphasising that the Republican party needs new leadership for the 2024 battle. In other words, step down, Trump, and let younger people take over. Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley have all been voicing their opinions recently and none of them are saying: "Hey let's support Trump". And of course there's Ron DeSantis, the new darling of the Republican party after his huge victory in the Florida governor election. He hasn't yet been calling for a new generation to take over the Republican leadership but he boasted that his success in Florida was just the start of something ever greater! So who will be the first to declare? I suspect we will have to wait. The principal candidates will bide their time, make carefully worded speeches and then when the time is right, probably when Trump has another major setback, they will all move in for the kill.