Publisher’s Perspective

By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune

To the disappointment of many voters in the United States, it somehow appears now that we will suffer through a rematch for President in 2024 with another Biden vs. Trump ticket.

Before this new world of conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation and distrust of any news that doesn’t align with a person’s world view, there is no way we’d be looking at a rematch in 2024.

Trump faces a slew of criminal charges related to the capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, possession of classified documents and hush-money payments during the 2016 election cycle.  Still he is being supported, we’re told by Minnesota’s Republicans in Congress.

And Trump appears to be far more popular than other Republican candidates, leading the next-most popular Republican, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by an average of 50 points, it’s been reported.  The four Republican members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation endorsed former president Donald Trump for president just last Wednesday.

Our own Congressperson, Michelle Fischbach is a longtime Trump supporter who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 election, part of a larger scheme by Trump and his allies to invalidate Joe Biden’s victory.

And there’s not a lot of love out there at this point for President Joe Biden.  Despite the economy turning around with gains in jobs, unemployment down,  and gas prices falling, people are still feeling the effects of interest rate hikes, inflation in many areas including rent and at the grocery store.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Democrats have largely fallen in line behind the reelection campaign for Biden.

U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith have both publicly expressed support for Biden’s reelection campaign, as have Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig.

There’s still time for something to change the choices we now face in the presidential election, but we’re not holding our breath.