• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 7, 2022

It’s too early to know if Donald Trump will be the Republican presidential candidate in 2024 -- but that’s not stopping The Lincoln Project from stepping up its anti-Trump campaign with a creepy new ad suggesting that party stalwarts like Senator Mitch McConnell are “conspiring” to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The ad is a Trump taunt-a-thon from start to finish with two narrators. The first makes a point like “They just don’t respect you.” The second voice, in a stage whisper like something out of a “Chucky” movie, punctuates the assertion: “They never did.”

Instead of fearing Trump, Narrator number one states that “now they’re in a conspiracy against you,” as quick cuts of McConnell, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and others flash across the screen. DeSantis, of course, is seen as a potential contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The whisperer adds, “They’re after you.”

“It’s so sad, Donald,” narrator one states. “So much disrespect and laughter behind your back.”

The ad even throws a bit of scary/campy-movie laughter in for good measure.

The LP notes that it released the ad as “Trump meddles in McConnell’s senate recruitment process, escalates attacks against Governor DeSantis, and clings to any ounce of party influence he has left.”

“Donald Trump is losing control,” said Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson. “The truth is, Donald Trump is being played by members of his own party. Whether it is Mitch McConnell cashing in on the MAGA brand, or Ron DeSantis basking in the glow of Fox News stardom, the former president appears too weak to reclaim control.”

Well, that's something to go on a Twitter rant about. Oh wait, he can't do that anymore, can he?