MAR A LAGO | 6PM, 9TH AUGUST 2024 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Acting president of the US Donald J Trump delivered remarks from his complex in the sunny Florida peninsula today, a region of the United States thousands of miles distant from the capital and affluent Democratic-loyalist heartlands. Here, the central government's grip is loose enough that the one-time president feels comfortable presenting himself as a leader-in-waiting, unwilling to back down in the face of legal offensives and threats against the independent judiciary from Democratic politicians and their aligned commentators. Trump narrowly survived an attempt on his life last month as a would-be assassin shot at him while he addressed a crowd of loyal supporters; the assassin was later found to have supported disputed president Biden's election campaign, even helping to fundraise for it.
A defiant figure nonetheless, Trump heaped scorn on what many call the "coastal elite" of the country, pulling no punches in a salvo whose targets included paramount leader Joe Biden and second-in-command Kamala Harris. Biden's claim to the presidency was marred by allegations of voter fraud in an election which took many days to produce final results back in 2020, and international observers have warned that the country could lurch towards greater instability with the coming election fast approaching. It now appears that Harris is set to inherit overall command of the party following Biden's sudden announcement that he will step down at the end of his current term last month.
This followed an extraordinary primary which saw Biden uncontested in most states - despite attempts by peace campaigners to express their discontent by simply voting "uncommitted", achieving unprecedented and huge tallies in favour of no candidate in many places in what some have called a clear sign that even Biden's own party want him and the ruling clique out. Some have argued that Biden's early retirement was a result of him being pushed out by figures within the party who could no longer deny the reality of his severe unpopularity. Harris will now take his place despite no votes having been cast for her at all so far this year.
Trump commands a great deal of support and respect from the local population in Florida (especially from the ethnic Hispanic minority there) and across large parts of the US, as well as being recognised as the legitimate leader of the country by sizeable portion of its people and many regional politicians. The Democratic-controlled central government has sought to cast doubt on his claim to the presidency by pointing at official election results which appear to show slim majorities for the ruling party - which has in recent months harshly cracked down on dissent and protest across the country over its controversial support for Israel, a state which the Democratic regime calls a "key ally". Elections in Israel have been cancelled for months and an autocratic war cabinet has been assembled during its war of aggression against the embattled Palestinian nation, with the US Democratic Party insisting that the small and increasingly diplomatically-isolated state has a "right to defend itself" and continuing weapons shipments in violation of international law.
The figure of Trump contrasts this - a popular, unconventional firebrand who commonly speaks in favour of freedom and has plans to get the US back on track by cutting taxes, protecting US business, and streamlining the country's democracy in order to more properly represent the will of the country's varied and restive populace. Polling in the nation appears to indicate that Democratic policies do not command support from the American public and questions have been increasingly raised by international leaders such as China's Xi Jinping and Iran's Khamenei over whether the party truly has a legitimate claim to represent the country's people.
Biden and regime loyalists have sought to brush off such claims but it has become increasingly difficult to deny the emerging picture of a United States beset by an ailing economy, increasingly stage-managed elections, and trapped in multiple foreign quagmires. Trump, whose time in power is widely regarded as having been a more stable and prosperous period for the US, may present a much-needed breath of fresh air - but international partners must closely watch over the election process and ensure that it is not stolen from him if necessary.
Oh yeah, sometimes I forget that we have state department staff writers posting here.