Virginia was the first to fall into Donald Trump’s hands. Then the States followed one another, Tuesday March 5, during a dreary Super Tuesday. American news channels tried to liven up this traditional climax of the primaries with lots of maps, dramatic banners and up-to-date data. But the outcome was clear: Joe Biden and Donald Trump were flying towards the inauguration, each in their own clear lane.
Donald Trump, who was to count on the support of 893 delegates at the end of tonight, could reach the threshold of 1,215 delegates around mid-March. The prospect of a new duel between the Democratic president, 81, and his predecessor, 77, can no longer be seriously contested at the polls, to the regret of a clear majority of Americans.
Donald Trump had a triumphant evening. Beyond his successive victories, it is the margins which reveal his total control over the Republican electorate. In very conservative states like Alabama, Tennessee and Oklahoma, he obtained more than 70%, inflicting humiliation on his opponent, former ambassador Nikki Haley. In Texas and California too, the two largest providers of delegates, he managed to cross this symbolic bar.
But this Trumpist wave says nothing about the state of the country; Above all, it confirms the definitive transformation of the “Grand Old Party” (GOP), taken up at the base by the MAGA movement (“Make America Great Again”). Donald Trump’s vulnerabilities remain identified. Part of Nikki Haley’s electorate refuses to consider a vote in her favor in November, even if it is risky to predict its importance.
Starting Monday, on the eve of Super Tuesday, Donald Trump began to polish his language. He repeated the exercise Tuesday evening. “Success will lead to the unity of our country”, he said. This sounds less like a promise than an admission of weakness. The personality of the ex-president, his 91 charges in four cases or even his promise to become a “dictator” the first day of his mandate fueled a strong rejection of his candidacy. Joe Biden suffers from his age and his fragility. Donald Trump suffers from Donald Trump.
Nikki Haley remains silent
If the ex-president’s domination is spectacular in rural areas, he struggles more in certain coveted urban areas, which will be decisive in November, such as the city of Richmond (Virginia). Its final margin, in this state, seemed much lower, for example, than that predicted by the polls. Donald Trump even lost a moderate state, Vermont, offering a sort of consolation prize to Nikki Haley.
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