NewsPolitical

Actions

Will Palm Beach County become new epicenter of Republican politics?

Former President Donald Trump set to make Palm Beach home
Posted at 9:09 AM, Jan 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-21 10:52:10-05

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach County has always been a hot bed for politics, as this is Florida after all, but now many people question what the area will look like with a past president residing here.

"The Republican Party of Palm Beach County is very, very hardcore," WPTV political analyst Brian Crowley said.

With Trump set to make Palm Beach island home, the focus shifts to whether or not supporters in the area will hold strong to the immediate past president.

"A lot of folks are having second thoughts," Crowley said. "A lot of folks in the Republican Party are condemning what Trump did and what happened. It will be interesting to see whether that has an impact on his followers here."

Rick Asnani, a political strategist, said the next phase of politics will surely come through Palm Beach County.

"The reality of it is that, while election 2020 is over and we are about to install a new president, election 2022 has already started, and I think election 2024 for the presidency has already started," Asnani said.

He said expect to see a lot of action locally.

Donald Trump, Melania Trump
First lady Melania Trump listens as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before his New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago property, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

"I think controversy follows the president and so do his supporters," he said. "So you are going to see people wanting to advocate for his issues and people wanting to protest his opinions, and I think many of those will occur right here in Palm Beach County if he's operating from here under a full-time basis."

It's unclear as to how that information will be decimated.

"He’s going to need a source to get information out," Asnani said. "I think he will look for his own resources versus traditional television news stations or conservative stations. Even things like Facebook and Twitter, he is starting to realize, if they are going to censor him, he's going to find a different pathway to get there, and he has allies to do that."

Caroline Melear, the vice president of the Young Republicans of Palm Beach County, expects the next generation of Republicans to be very involved in the future of the party.

"There is a huge swath of young people that support the Republican Party and understand the principles," she said.

The fact that Florida is a so-called "purple" state, otherwise known as a swing state, makes it that much more interesting.

"Sometimes in efforts to stop what is currently there or go against something, you will see grassroots movements, opportunities for new leaders," Asnani said. "New ideas are going to come springing right out of Palm Beach County."