Fresno’s Republican apologist Ray Appleton just said it: ‘Donald Trump is done.’
I took a dive into local conservative talk radio today to hear the hot takes.
Ray Appleton, Fresno’s leading talk-show host, began his KMJ program Wednesday with this declaration: “Donald Trump is done.”
He quickly followed up by saying Trump was done .... as a Republican.
As any regular listeners of Appleton’s weekday show know, he staunchly defends conservative causes. Whether Appleton really believes some of the positions he takes, or stakes them out as part of his business model, is beside the point.
However, the election results from Tuesday left Appleton thinking the former president had no future in the GOP.
He was lamenting the party’s less-than-glorious results that showed Republicans did not achieve a “red wave” of wins across the nation. Numerous political analysts pointed out that, in fact, candidates backed by Trump and his MAGA agenda were big losers.
By contrast, someone who may compete against Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential bid is ultra-conservative Ron DeSantis. He just won re-election as Florida’s governor and seems eager to run against Trump.
As The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake put it, “DeSantis won a resounding victory in Florida in a way that will only further the belief that he’s a much more electable version of Trump, without all the headaches.”
DeSantis even earned a warning from Trump that if he does campaign, Trump will reveal damaging information about him. Gotta love the thick skin of the former president.
The future possibilities are numerous: Does Trump decide to go his own way in a new party he forms? Or does the GOP get embroiled in a hell-raising civil war?
However it works out, it will be entertaining, and provide lots of material for Appleton to comment on.
This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 12:46 PM.
