What comes next for Donald Trump?
After fierce criticism of Wednesday's storming of the Capitol including from members of the Republican Party, outgoing US President Donald Trump has now announced that he will allow a peaceful transfer of power and condemned the violent acts of his supporters in Congress. European media discuss whether this really means his imminent departure from the world stage.
Lacking the discipline for the long haul
Even if he's not removed from office under the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution, Trump is finished, columnist Gianni Riotta writes in La Stampa:
“Many fear that Trump will continue to haunt the party he conquered and led to total defeat like an insidious spectre. Some even predict that he will run in 2024 or get involved in the 2022 midterms. These are just fantasies. Trump has neither the discipline nor the personality for positional warfare; all he knows is attack: brief, undisciplined, where you win or lose with one blow. And whatever the outcome, as of January 21 he faces serious trouble, both in the [likely] trials as a former businessman in New York and for his conduct as president.”
To be continued...
Dnevnik does not believe Trump will give in:
“The good news is the epilogue, namely that Congress did its job in the end and that the radical Trump supporters were condemned by the general public - although of course not by the President. However, that doesn't mean that his political capital is now exhausted. Trump has pointed out on several times that he sees the 74 million votes he received in the election as a fund for the future - including when the time comes to settle scores with those who have now turned their backs on him. And that's another problem that awaits many Republicans and poses a threat to the party itself: the fact that even after Trump leaves the White House his shadow will hang over it - along with the seeds of chaos and scandal.”