Even though it’s early I’ve been thinking about the 2024 Presidential campaign.

As we know President Donald Trump, was defeated by Joe Biden in 2020. The fact that a compliant national press chose not to publish information regarding stories about the Biden family’s business dealings in China and the Ukraine, and information about Hunter Biden’s missing laptops may have lost Trump the election. This is based on polling following the election which found that 15% of Biden voters indicated that had they known about the suppressed stories they very likely would have changed their vote.

There is no doubt that Trump did a good job as president. He kept his promises and while not adored around the world, he was respected. There were no Ukrainian invasions on his watch or were American diplomats lectured to by their Chinese counterparts as happened early in the Biden administration. He lowered corporate taxes and cut regulations on business and the economy prospered with unemployment sinking to new lows and resulting in our becoming energy independent once again.

In his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, he overcame systemic government inertia and launched “operation Warp Speed” that produced a safe vaccine within a year. Of course, he was carped at by Democrats and by candidate Biden who sat in his Dover, Del., home’s basement promising that he would defeat COVID once and for all, which of course he never did.

Many have criticized Trump because of his constant Tweets which they found disruptive and because they often created controversy where none had previously existed. But it did enable the President to make end runs around a hostile national press. The fact that he ended up being barred from Twitter only indicates the un-American positions of the “Lords” of social media.

Trump did leave office under a cloud that was partly of his own making. In the case of the controversial Jan. 6 Capitol Hill demonstration, Democrats — try as they might — failed to link Trump to it. However, the president was guilty of being slow to ask that demonstrators cease and desist.

At the same time as the demonstration was going on Vice President Mike Pence was presiding over the Senate as it was going about the process of making the 2020 election results official. Trump demanded that Pence overturn the election results but Pence refused saying that he had no constitutional Authority to do so. The Electoral College Vote had been certified and the matter settled. Trump’s treatment of Pence for carrying out his constitutional duties was deplorable. Pence had carried out his duties as vice president with dignity and loyalty. I hope one day he will apologize to Pence and it is disturbing that he has not done so yet.

There may be some truth that the election was stolen from Trump but sadly the persons he charged with investigating election irregularities did a poor job of providing actual proof behind the claims which makes me feel that Trump’s vitriol over the results would have been better directed at those who investigated the election for him.

As we view the world today where Russia’s Vladimir Putin is waging a genocidal war against the Ukraine, where Putin threatens to use nuclear weapons, where China threatens to “retake” Taiwan, with growing inflation, rising gasoline and gas prices at home caused by Biden’s restrictions on American petroleum companies, many of us wish that Trump, for all his perceived faults was still in office.

If Trump were to run against Biden in the 2024 election, as matters now stand, he would easily defeat a man who is not competent to carry out the duties of the office.

In the early 19th century Biden might have been up to the job when the United States was a minor power but now our nation and the world cannot allow a shaky American hand at the switch.

Who then will be the Republican nominee? Many think Trump is worthy of re-election and may seek the nomination but if he does, he must let the results of 2020 stand without further comment. He must apologize to Pence for attempting to force him to ignore the Constitution and his duties under it. Further I hope that potential candidates like Governor Ron DeSantis and Pence would also seek the nomination resulting in a primary where the real issues might even be debated.

Finally, If President Trump runs in 2024, I fear that Hillary Clinton might challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination. If nominated she stands little chance of beating whomever the Republicans nominate.

However, after 30 years of her presence on the national stage I find her lust for power, which is greater than most politicians, nauseating. She will do whatever is necessary to attain and keep that power. Give us a break Hilary, stay in Chappaqua!

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com