Former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley has introduced her candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. She will probably be opposing the already introduced former President Donald Trump.

Based on the political speculators there could also be comparable forthcoming GOP bulletins from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and who is aware of who else.

Don’t consider a phrase of any of this. None of those individuals will probably be Trump’s actual opponents.

The actual contest for the 2024 GOP nomination, to not point out for the presidency within the basic election past that, is between…

Donald Trump and the media.

As People have discovered, the mainstream media is obsessive about the forty fifth president. Obsessive about every little thing he says and every little thing he does. And within the case of those that have determined to problem him for re-nomination or are leaning to take action, they’re being made virtually incidental to their very own campaigns – by the media.

Take Nikki Haley. 

A clearly completed individual, a former state legislator, governor and U.S. UN Ambassador, listed below are among the headlines surrounding her announcement. From NBC: 

A timeline of Nikki Haley’s previous Trump statements

Haley was initially a pointy critic of Trump, however she went on to hitch his administration and assist his re-election in 2020.

From CNN: 

Nikki Haley’s first days in GOP 2024 race preview the Trump balancing act awaiting different contenders 

Newsweek: 

Why Donald Trump Will Be Delighted Nikki Haley Is Operating Towards Him 

And on and on- and on and on – went the media’s protection of Nikki Haley: It was all about…Trump.

Then there are the customarily talked about doable Trump GOP opponents who usually are not but introduced. A sampling.

Right here’s CNN on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis: 

DeSantis says he regrets not talking out ‘a lot louder’ towards Trump’s advice to remain residence

From again there within the mists of 2021 Senator Tim Scott will likely be reminded of this from CNN: 

Tim Scott confirms he’s on the Trump 2024 prepare

Right here’s CBS on a doable run by former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson: 

Asa Hutchinson, former Arkansas governor and vocal Trump critic, might determine on presidential run by April

And right here is Fox Information on New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu: 

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu points daring prediction about Trump’s 2024 possibilities: ‘He cannot get it accomplished’

Once more, there’s extra right here like this. Oh a lot extra. However the theme in each story is, in essence, it’s all about Trump.

What are the political outcomes of this for the true or potential Trump opponents?

It’s cheap to recommend that there are solely two doable outcomes right here. Both the anti-Trump fixation of the media can have People nodding in settlement with the media’s protection, after which rally behind one of many Trump opponents.

Or, on the contrary. In that case the media’s Trump obsession will so infuriate the legendary “Trump base” that they may end up en masse to re-nominate and re-elect him.

However that Trump himself will fairly willingly – fortunately – tackle the media as his opponent on this election cycle, have little doubt.

Manner again there in 2014 I interviewed then-private citizen Trump about how he would cope with the media if he did run for president. I started by noting that many Republican voters felt the media was not solely hostile to Republican nominees, however there was a perception the Republican nominees didn’t battle again. Assume then-recent nominees Romney, McCain and George W. Bush.

Trump answered that he can be making it some extent to battle again towards the media, saying this:

Effectively, I see firsthand the dishonesty of the press….The press is extraordinarily dishonest. A lot of it. A few of it I’ve nice respect for, they usually’re nice individuals and honorable individuals. However there’s a big phase of the press that’s extra dishonest than anyone I’ve seen in enterprise or wherever else. And the one factor you need to do is you need to inform the general public. The general public has to know in regards to the dishonesty of the press as a result of these are actually dangerous individuals they usually don’t inform the reality and haven’t any intention of telling the reality. And I do know who they’re and I’d expose them one hundred pc. And I will probably be doing that.

And by the point he did run in 2016, Trump had diminished this perception right into a well-known two phrase descriptor of the media: “Faux information.”

One will be fairly certain that after two presidential races and one time period within the White Home Trump believes all of what he mentioned in regards to the press again there in 2014 extra strongly than ever.

It’s far too early at this level within the 2024 cycle to know the consequence. However it’s decidedly not too early, as these headlines above recommend – and they’re seemingly infinite in Googleland – to comprehend the media has set its sights on Trump. And for higher or worse, anyone who runs towards him goes to seek out the mainstream media will probably be making the true story of their race as “its all about Trump.”

If there’s one pretty sure wager, it’s that Trump himself will love each minute of this looming battle. He’ll relish the battle.

Buckle in.