Trump throws down the gauntlet

So he did it. No surprise there. But Donald Trump's official-at-last declaration about standing in 2024 is going to cause a mass of problems for the Republican party, especially among those who fancy their chances for the nomination. Republicans such as Mike Pence, ex-vice president, Mike Pompeo, ex-secretary of state and ex-CIA director and, of course, Rick DeSantis, governor of Florida and the up-and-coming darling of the Republican party. Do they take on Trump and attract withering accusations of betrayal from The Don or do they leave the field to him and wait for 2028? There's a pile of egos here but none bigger than Trump's. Anyone who stands against him is going to have a really hard time. Trump will fight dirty. This won't help the cause of the Republicans who will be desperate to fall in behind a dynamic leader who can beat the sitting president. After his success in Florida, DeSantis is now all the rage. But basically DeSantis is a slightly toned-down Trump. And if he were to win the nomination and beat Biden he might turn out to be just as bad as Trump. So if I was a Republican in the US I would be looking for someone with experience and dynamism and charm and a personality that can bring unity back to America. If that is remotely possible. Perhaps Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and US ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration. If she became president it would be historic - the first woman and the first Indian-American. But Trump would never step aside for her and the Republicans might feel less than confident that she could beat Biden. But I firmly predict that Biden would beat Trump for a second time if the contest becomes a rerun of the 2020 election. See link to my spy thriller, Shadow Lives, in my profile.