Former President Donald Trump announced on Nov. 15 that he is running for the nomination in the 2024 general election.

While it seems like no surprise, this announcement made me wonder if he is a viable candidate.

Trump’s tax fraud investigation, COVID-19 response failure, and Jan. 6 insurrection tells me that he is not fit to be a candidate, let alone the President again.

Because Iowa is a predominantly red state, Iowa is a prime example of who could help Trump win in 2024.

In 2016, 51.1 percent of Iowans voted for Trump, 41.7 percent voted for Hillary Clinton, and 3.8 percent for libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. In the last general election, 53.1 percent of Iowans voted for Trump, and 44.9 percent voted for President Joe Biden.

Trump won in 2016 with 306 electoral votes and lost in 2020 with 232 electoral votes. Iowa supplied six electoral votes for him both times.

Iowa may also play a role in Trump’s running mate. One of the top choices on his list is Gov. Kim Reynolds. Reynolds followed in his footsteps several times during his presidencies, such as limiting the requirements of masks and vaccines.

Reynolds has also been a major opponent of Trump’s two impeachments. She also pushed claims of election fraud in the 2020 election.

Trump’s erratic responses have global consequences. In Brazil, there have been recent cries of election fraud against the outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro. Supporters of Bolsonaro have called for the military to take over.

The U.S. is a global influence. Trump has inspired other world leaders — often on the far right — to have their own claims of election fraud.

Besides investigations into whether Trump was intentional in causing the Jan. 6 insurrection, during and after his presidency he has made some half hazard decisions. Take for example the pandemic. His rhetoric framed it as a hoax and fed into a growing sentiment against vaccines and masks even though they were encouraged by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

This led COVID-19 to spread far wider than just to the few people who ignored CDC guidelines. His COVID-19 rhetoric influenced other red states to lax restrictions.

I would say that the misinformation, investigations, and controversy that surrounds Trump — whether he directly says or Tweets it — makes him an improper leader for the U.S. and the world.

The everyday person — Democrat, Republican, or Independent — should have the right intentions to better the lives of themselves and those around them. Trump has played a major part in creating the idea that the other side, or people who disagree with him, are the bad guys.

While the Biden Presidency has been rocky at best, I would still take it over Trump’s, because it felt like a normal presidency.

During the Iowa Caucus, and possibly the 2024 presidential election, vote no to Trump. No matter what he offers as a positive, his negatives outweigh them 100 to one.

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.