Trump crushes Republican rivals for White House – then heads back to court

Three years ago, in the wake of the Capitol riot and with his second impeachment under way, Donald Trump’s political future looked over once and for all. But Republicans, led largely by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, voted to acquit him, all but giving him permission to continue his dominance in the Republican Party.

Now, after a devastating win over his rivals in the first contest on the road to the White House, he once again holds the Grand Old Party in the palm of his hand. But even in his moment of victory, with some polls suggesting he could defeat Joe Biden in November, he had a stark reminder of the legal dangers facing him this year as he returned to a New York courtroom for just one of the cases he is embroiled in.

The Iowa caucuses officially kicked off the 2024 presidential contest in resounding fashion when the former president overwhelmingly won the contest in the Hawkeye State.

Mr Trump’s main opponents – former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and Florida governor Ron DeSantis – significantly trailed the twice-impeached and four-times-indicted former president after they mostly failed to criticise him throughout the preliminary campaigning and debates. Similarly, businessman and right-wing conspiracy monger Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out after a poor showing and endorsed the former president. The former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, a stalwart conservative, also suspended his campaign on Tuesday.

Mr DeSantis, for his part, mostly complained about the fact that the networks declared that Mr Trump had won the caucuses while some were still underway. The Florida governor, once seen by donors and Republican consultants as the strongest challenger to Mr Trump, won second place despite many