Love him or hate him, e don come back.
Di former US President Donald Trump don cement im status as di clear front-runner for di 2024 Republican presidential nomination, as e win landslide victory for di Iowa caucuses.
Votes wey Trump get pass all di oda candidates vote put togeda.
Later, biotech entrepreneur, Vivek Ramaswamy, wey bin ginger small for early debates, drop out of di race and tok say e dey endorse Trump. Asa Hutchinson also tok say e no dey run again.
If Trump win di Republican nomination, come later win di election wey go happun for November 5, e go be di first US President for modern history wey go govern, lose election, and return to power again. Di last president wey do am na Grover Cleveland in 1892.
Even though e still dey early to become di 60th US president, Trump victory for Iowa don show say e still dey very popular among Republicans.
Here na some of di reasons why.
Di economy
“E go get di economy back up and di price of gas go come down again,” one Trump supporter for Iowa tok, wen dem ask her why she wan see di former president return to office.
And she no dey alone for her thinking. Di economy na key message for Trump campaign. Im son Eric tell BBC Americast Podcast: “Pipo want prosperity and strength for dis kontri.
“My father get di greatest economy for di history of dis nation, di lowest unemployment, di lowest inflation, di lowest gas price.”
Na true say US economy been do well wen Trump dey power before di pandemic.
But e get periods wen e dey strong pass, and e dey kontinu a trend wey begin during President Obama administration. Den di biggest economic contraction ever recorded come hammer di US economy as a result of di Covid-19 outbreak.
For President Biden term, di war for Ukraine come make energy costs high too much and inflation come reach a 40-year high, even though e don drop well well now and di economy dey stronger dan expected last year.
‘Dynamic’ Trump v ‘Sleepy Joe’
Marc Lotter, wey be former director of communications for Trump campaign in 2020, tok say Trump get beta track record pass Biden.
“One tin wey Joe Biden no get for 2020 wen we dey campaign na record. E don get record now and di pipo no like am,” Lotter tell BBC.
Trump supporter, Billy Blathras dey see Trump as a “dynamic leader”. E tok say: “We see wetin e do for him first term. dat na wetin we want again. We see di decline our kontri dey inside under President Biden.
“Wetin we really want na dat enthusiastic support for American pipo wey Trump bring wen e bin dey White House.”
Anoda key factor, according to anoda supporter for Iowa, na Trump business and celebrity background, rather dan a political one: “Dis kontri no need to be run by anoda politician, I believe say di best candidate go be pesin wey sabi how to run a business.”
Many Republicans dey see Mr Trump big personality as a contrast to President Biden personality, who im critics don name am “Sleepy Joe” afta camera catch am as e dey nod off during di COP26 climate conference.
But of course, di last time wen di two men go head-to-head, Biden bin win.
Immigration and Trump’s ‘blood poison’ comments
Wen Trump tok say immigrants dey “poison di blood of our kontri” for one interview wit right-wing news outlet ‘The National Pulse’ for October, President Biden been accuse am of using language wey dey sound like dat of Nazi Germany.
“Trump bin tok say if e return to office, im go go afta all di pipo wey dey oppose am and wipe out wetin e call di vermin in America – a specific phrase wey get specific meaning.
“E echo language you hear for Nazi Germany in di ’30s,” President Biden tok, according to a White House transcript. “And e no even be di first time.”
Historians and experts wey don study propaganda from Nazi Germany tell BBC say President Biden comparison dey accurate. “No be only say we hear language like dis for Nazi Germany, dat na exactly wetin dem do,” Anne Berg, wey be historian for University of Pennsylvania tok, citing how di Nazis attack dia political enemies once dem enter power.
But polling by CBS show say di Republican party faithful support Trump comments.
CBS ask register Republican voters weda dem agree or disagree wit wetin oga Trump tok. Dem ask half of di survey respondents about “poisoning di blood” comment, but dem no tell dem who tok am, den dem tell di oda half say na Trump tok am.
Either way, majority of Republican voters agree; 72% agree even wen dem no know who tok am, and 82% agree wen dem tell dem say na Trump tok am. Dis suggest say Trump supporters like im stance on immigration.
Stronger support from young Americans
A recent surprise boost to Trump na signs say e fit dey edge ahead of Biden among younger voters. A poll wey New York Times and Siena College publish for mid-December show say Trump dey six percentage points ahead among voters aged 18 to 29.
Experts dey debate di details of dis trend, but e dey suggest a very different picture from di 2020 election, wen Trump dey behind Biden by 24 percentage points among di same age group.
Dis fit be becos Biden no too connect wit younger voters, and e fit still be signs say dem dey frustrated by di way e dey handle di Israel-Hamas war – plus Trump popularity.
However, Mary Weston, wey be di head of di Iowa Young Republicans group, tell BBC say young Republicans fit dey attracted to Trump sake of im power on stage: “You just kind of find yourself surprise about how e dey carry imself and how e dey tok,” she tok.
Now aged 23, she bin dey high school age wen Trump be president and she say plenti pipo been “mock and harass” her for supporting di man. But she believe say “e dey stand up for wetin e believe in” and “e no dey fear to be who e wan be”, and na dis dey appeal to young voters.
She also tok say di allegations against am don make “a lot of im base to dey fight for am, to prove to di Democrats say we go still dey support am”.
Court cases dey be like ‘persecution’
Donald Trump don dey criminally indicted four times, and e still get plenti trials to attend in 2024 as e dey run again for di White House.
Dem don sue am for New York, and indict am for Georgia, Florida, Manhattan and Washington, as federal and state prosecutors for oda places don open investigations on top him head.
Some lawsuits for some states dey also seek to disqualify Mr Trump from di presidential race, as dem dey argue say e engage in insurrection during di US Capitol riot three years ago.
You fit dey think say plenti court cases fit put off im supporters, but veteran pollster, Frank Lance, tell BBC say e dey actually help Trump:
“E dey able to make di case say na im be di victim, say dem dey persecute am no be just prosecute, and say na witch hunt,” Lance tok.
“Evri time dem indict am, im numbers ddey go up. Evri time dem take am off di ballot – for Maine and Colorado – im numbers dey go up. Evri time you attack Donald Trump, e go capitalise on am. We never see anyone in America wey dey like am.”
However, e get some pipo for Iowa wey get different view about oga Trump, despite im success dia – like Judy, weu tok say: “E dey horrible, absolutely disgusting. I no understand why pipo go vote for am.”
If Trump go become di Republican nominee, e still get plenti work to do.
E dey expected say im go face stronger challenge from former UN ambassador Nikki Haley for di New Hampshire primaries next week, wia polls show say im lead wey bin dey dominating don dey come down to near single digits.
But afta e pass im first test in Iowa by Republican voters, e still be di overwhelming favourite for di race.
