Trump is still Trump and that could be a problem for him in 2024 

Seven years ago, who Donald Trump would be as a politician was an open question. Now there is little doubt, and voters have punished his party as a result, writes James Oliphant

Former President Donald Trump gestures as he announces he is running for president for the third time. Picture: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

As he mounts another run for president, Donald Trump by all accounts is still the same Donald Trump — aggrieved, petulant and tunnel-focused on his political standing. It’s the electoral landscape around him that has changed.

And after Republicans’ underwhelming performance in the 2022 US midterm elections, people in the party increasingly want to look forward, not back. Trump is no longer the shoo-in for its presidential nomination that he might have been even a year ago.