NYT: Democrats Keep Hoping to Take Down Donald Trump Outside Ballot Box

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File
Wendell Husebø

The Democrat party is reportedly worried about former President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the 2024 presidential election — and top Democrats keep hoping to take out Trump another way than via the ballot box.

Democrats worry about Trump’s reelection prospects due to his sustained strength when directly challenged. Polling shows Trump’s popularity remains high, despite constant attacks:

“Once again, Democrats find themselves looking toward American institutions to stop Mr. Trump, whom they view as a mortal threat to democracy, the New York Times’ Reid J. Epstein wrote in light of the recent Colorado Supreme Court ruling. “For many, it may be more pleasant to think about a judicial endgame that stops Mr. Trump than envisioning the slog of next year’s likely rematch against President Biden.”

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a 4-3 opinion that the United States Constitution’s “Insurrection Clause” blocks Trump from appearing on the state’s presidential ballot.

Trump’s polling numbers appear unaffected.

Trump is “more likely to beat Biden,” pollster Frank Luntz told CNN on Tuesday following the Colorado Supreme Court ruling. “Donald Trump thrives on negativity, he thrives on legal systems that try to hold him accountable, and I’m convinced that his polling numbers are going to go up,” Luntz told host Pamela Brown.

Former President Donald Trump (L) and President Joe Biden (Mandel NGAN/AFP, Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Biden reportedly complains that polling shows he is losing to Trump in a potential 2024 rematch. “He complained that his economic message had done little to move the ball, even as the economy was growing and unemployment was falling, people familiar with his private comments anonymously told the Washington Post:

For months, the president and first lady Jill Biden have told aides and friends they are frustrated by the president’s low approval rating and the polls that show him trailing former president Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination — and in recent weeks, they have grown upset that they are not making more progress.

Polling appears to confirm Biden’s worry:

Follow Wendell Husebø on “X” @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.