Donald Trump is counting on Tuesday to mathematically solidify his candidacy for the 2024 U.S. presidential election as the Republican nominee, by participating in the primaries in several states including Georgia, one of the battlegrounds beset by legal challenges that complicate his campaign. Trump now stands alone in the Republican primaries after eliminating all competitors, the latest being Nikki Haley, who withdrew from the party race due to the substantial gap between her and Trump.
However, to be officially chosen, Trump (77 years old) must secure a minimum number of delegates who are expected to vote for him at the Republican National Convention scheduled for the summer, where the nominee will be named. He needs to gather 1,215 delegates to guarantee his nomination, and he still requires 140 votes. The number of delegates at stake in Tuesday's elections totals 160.
The primaries are taking place on Tuesday in Hawaii, Washington, Mississippi, and Georgia, where the American billionaire holds both good and bitter memories. This state, located in the southeastern U.S. next to Florida, typically casts its votes for the Republican candidate in presidential elections. This was evident in 2016 when the state awarded its votes to Trump over his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
However, the tide turned against Trump in 2020, as Georgia was one of the states that tipped the scale to Joe Biden, preventing Trump from securing a second consecutive term in the White House. The margin between Trump and Biden in Georgia was just 12,000 votes. Rather than conceding his loss in this state, the Republican president pressured several local election officials, asking them in a phone call to "find" enough votes to cover his deficit against Biden.
Following the release of this audio recording, state authorities charged Trump with attempting to overturn the election results there. Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of "extortion" and several other offenses in his bid to reverse the election results in the state. He appeared at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, where his fingerprints were taken and a mugshot was captured before he was released on a $200,000 bond. The image of Trump appearing grim, furrowing his brows, and staring into the camera became historic as it marked the first mugshot of a former U.S. president.
Trump is involved in four criminal cases and seeks, through various appeals, to delay his trials as long as possible, ideally until after the presidential election.
