Donald Trump may have won the White House in 2016 and taken over one of the most powerful positions in the world from Barack Obama, but the Republican Party took a step backward in 2017. While Trump and his colleagues are doing their best to maintain slim majorities in the Senate and House, they might have another Democrat to battle in the 2018 mid-term elections: Obama himself.
Obama Plans Big Return In 2018
According to Newsweek , Obama will return to politics in 2018. The former president has remained quiet since leaving Washington a year ago but is staging a comeback for the upcoming election cycle. Inside sources claim that Obama will return to the campaign trail this year with more endorsements than ever before.
Obama aims to throw his support behind as many Democrat candidates as he can muster to try and win back both houses of Congress. This lines up with Obama’s promise after leaving office, when he vowed to stay in the political game and help his party whenever possible.
Will Obama Make A Difference?
There is no telling which races Obama will target, but his influence could sway a lot of voters, especially in a few of the Senate races. Trump actively repealed many of Obama’s programs during his first year in office, and his approval rating remains at record lows.
In comparison, Obama has increased his popularity after leaving office and even managed to win support in the historically Republican state of Alabama. If Obama shows his support on the campaign trail and does it effectively, Trump and the Republican Party have a lot to worry about.
Last year, Obama appeared a few times on the campaign trail in Virginia, helping Ralph Northam become Governor of the state. He did the same thing for New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Obama is expected to ramp up these appearances in 2018, but his motivations aren’t solely to help his party win back power.
Obama Fights To Preserve Legacy
Obama’s legacy came under immense threat after Trump was elected president. In fact, many Democrat politicians thought Trump was going to completely erase Obama’s legacy by repealing programs like the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Although Trump has tried his best to destroy Obama’s legacy, he hasn’t done it yet.
Instead, most of Trump’s attempts to dismantle Obama-era programs have failed, forcing Trump to backtrack on many of his campaign promises. Of course, Trump still has three more years in office, which is probably why Obama is returning to the world of politics in hopes of preserving everything he built in eight years.
How Will Trump Respond?
Obama has not revealed his plans for the 2018 political season. It is difficult to predict how Trump will respond to Obama’s return, though Republicans will need to fight hard in the mid-term elections to retain their slim majority in the House and Senate.
If Barack Obama is successful, however, things are going to get really interesting in the second half of Trump’s first term, especially if the majority flips against Trump.