Democrats underwent a dramatic change in their 2024 presidential ticket ahead of their convention, going from stubborn stasis, to despair and disarray, to a seemingly reinvigorated unity in a matter of just a few weeks. But on the Republican side—despite a few moments in the spotlight for now-also-rans Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley—it’s long been clear that Donald J. Trump would be the party’s nominee as he makes his bid for a presidential comeback.
Electorally speaking, Texas is unlikely to play any surprising role in the outcome of November’s contest as Trump is expected to extend the state’s 48-year streak of voting for Republican presidential candidates. But the titans of politics and industry who run this state are still doing everything they can to ensure their man gets back into office and delivers them their spoils—damn the consequences for ordinary Texans, who will face the brunt of the harm and havoc he unleashes.
Trump reluctantly left the White House on January 20, 2021, while still falsely claiming President Joe Biden stole the election, weeks after encouraging an insurrectionary mob to storm the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the election results by any means necessary. A makeshift gallows was on standby outside, where crowds shouted “Hang Mike Pence!”
