Trump, the former President, announced Tuesday night that he would run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. He aims to be the second commander-in chief ever elected to non-consecutive terms.
Trump spoke to a crowd at Mar-a-Lago in Florida where he said, “To make America great again and glorious again, i am tonight announcing that I am running for president of the United States.”
Trump spoke in a subdued speech surrounded by his allies, advisers and conservative influencers. He was rife, however, with exaggerated and spurious claims about his four years as president. Trump sought to invoke nostalgia for his tenure in office, contrasting his first term accomplishments with those of the Biden administration and the current economic environment, despite a divisive presidency. Many of the perceived achievements, including strict immigration policies, corporate tax cuts, and religious freedom initiatives, remain deeply polarizing today.
Trump addressed a room full of Republicans, who expected him to face primary challengers over the next months. He also stated that the party could not afford to nominate “a politician” or “a conventional candidate” if they want to win the White House.
Trump stated, “This won’t be my campaign. This will be our campaign all together.”
Trump’s eagerly awaited campaign is coming as he attempts to regain the spotlight after the GOP’s poor midterm election performance, including the loss of many Trump-endorsed election deniers. This blame game has continued since Election Day. Republicans lost a Senate majority and failed to fill several statewide seat. They have not secured a House majority with only 215 of the 218 required. These developments have forced Trump and other party leaders to take a defensive stance as they are subject to criticism from their own ranks.
The Federal Election Committee received Trump’s paperwork establishing that he was candidacies shortly before he made his announcement at Mar-a-Lago.
To the delight and surprise of his aides, allies, and supporters who had long advised him to run a forward-looking election campaign for 2020, he only spent a small portion of his remarks repeating the lies about it. Trump decried paper ballots and compared America’s electoral system to those of “third world” countries. However, he tried to widen his grievances by lamenting Washington’s “massive corruption and entrenched interests”. Many of Trump’s top advisors expressed concern that Trump’s obsession with conspiracies regarding the presidential election might make it more difficult for him to win a national electoral vote in 2024.
Trump stated throughout the speech that he wanted his campaign to be seen as a sacrifice.
He said, “Anyone who really seeks to challenge this corrupt and rigged system will face a storm of fire that few could understand”, describing the emotional and legal toll his presidency has had on his family.
Trump was blamed for elevating flawed candidates, who spent too much time repeating his claims regarding election fraud, alienating key voter and eventually leading to their defeats, on the heels of last week’s midterm elections. On Tuesday, Trump attempted to respond to the criticism by noting that Republicans seem poised to retake control of the House majority, and promoting at least one Trump-endorsed candidate: Kevin Kiley from California. Trump blamed his party’s performance in the midterm elections on voters not realizing “the full effect of the suffering” after two decades of Democratic control in Washington.
He stated, “I have no doubt it will be worse by 2024 and they will see clearly the damage done to our country – so the voting will be very different.”
Beat others to the punch
According to aides, Trump believes that his first-out of the gate strategy will help him win over potential primary rivals as well as give him an advantage with donors who are wealthy. Both conservative and moderate Republicans are expected to challenge him, but the calculus for some presidential hopefuls may change now that Trump is running. Others, like Mike Pence, his former Vice President may still be in the race.
Donald Trump, former President of the United States, announced that he would run again for president in 2024 U.S. Presidential Election during an event at Mar-a-Lago Estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The event was held on November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Trump’s third presidential campaign coincides with an era of increased legal risk as Justice Department officials who are investigating him and his associates reexamine the possibility of indictment in their Trump-related probes. He is being investigated by the Justice Department for his actions before and during the attack on the US Capitol, January 6, 2021 and his storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after he left office. Trump’s continued support from the base of the GOP party means he is expected to be able to win the nomination easily. However, Trump’s announcement will likely endanger the hopes of party leaders looking for new talent. Top Republicans are particularly focused on the Florida Governor’s next moves. Ron DeSantis won his reelection race with a margin of 19 points and significant support from independent and minority voters. Trump’s campaign may be hampered by some Republican leaders who encourage or elevate alternative candidates. DeSantis has been quietly preparing for a White House bid.
It is unlikely that any attempt to stop Trump from advancing to the nomination will succeed. Despite the numerous legal entanglements and January 6’s stain, the 45th president is still very popular with Republican voters. He also has a strong connection to his core supporters that could make it difficult for other GOP hopefuls or to weaken. Even though Trump’s controversial politics and heterodox policies were not liked by many conservatives, they remained loyal to him as president. He helped secure the rightward shift in the US Supreme Court through his nominations. This was one of the most important aspects of Trump’s legacy. It led to the deeply polarizing decision of the conservative court majority in June to end federal abortion rights. According to a May NBC News survey, Trump’s first term ended with the lowest approval rating of any president. However, Republicans viewed Trump favorably. This alone could give Trump an advantage over his primary opponents, who voters are still unfamiliar with.
Pence is one of those potential rivals. His role as vice president would give him a lot of name recognition. Pence has been working on a potential White House run in 2024. He will have to fight for his most loyal supporters. Many of them have reacted negatively to Trump’s refusal to overstep his congressional authority to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in 2020. Trump could be pitted against DeSantis who has been praised by cultural conservatives as a hero and is widely considered to be a polished version of Trump. CNN has heard similar comments from some of Trump’s former advisers, who noted that DeSantis made significant contacts with Republican donors in his bid for reelection. They also built goodwill with GOP leaders through his campaign for Republican candidates for the federal and state levels.
Trump faces another obstacle in his path. The House select committee continues to probe his role in the January 6th 2021 incident. Justice Department officials are weighing whether to bring criminal charges. Trump was subpoenaed by the committee in October for documents and testimony. Trump is currently fighting in court. The House select committee continues to investigate Trump’s role in January 6, 2021. Justice Department officials are weighing whether to issue criminal charges.
Trump’s desire for an early announcement of his campaign can be traced back to the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago. His advisers believe that this further encouraged him to make what he believes to be a successful political comeback. After the search, Trump received calls from his allies encouraging him to speed up his timeline for 2024. He met with House Republicans in the Republican Study Committee that night and declared his decision to launch a bid. However, some House Republicans convinced him to wait until after midterm elections to make his next move.
Trump spoke on Tuesday to few of these lawmakers. They chose to stay in Washington while the House Republicans held their leadership elections. The party is still struggling with its failures in highly-coveted midterm races and it was unable to attend Trump’s speech. The room was filled instead with prominent election deniers such as Mike Lindell, MyPillow CEO, and several of Trump’s lawyers and former and current aides. On Tuesday, Trump entered the room alongside Melania Trump, the former first lady. However, many members of Trump’s extended family were also present, including Eric and Lara Trump and their son Barron. Jared Kushner is his son-in law. Kimberly Guilfoyle was also there, who is engaged with Donald Trump Jr. Roger Stone, a long-time Trump advisor; Madison Cawthorn, a former North Carolina Rep.; Devin Nunes, the current CEO and chief political adviser of Trump’s Truth Social app; and Ivanka Trump were among others.
Preparing for 2024
In January 2021, Trump fled Washington after being defeated and disgraced. He began planning a return to power. The bulk of his time was spent building a political organization that would be used for this purpose. He continued his aggressive fundraising strategies that were a hallmark of his 2020 campaign. He amassed a huge war chest before the 2022 midterm elections and worked tirelessly to elect solid allies in Congress and the state legislatures throughout the country.
He maintained a Florida home base, but he regularly flew across the country to campaign rallies. This allowed him vital face-time with his base as well as with candidates that he believed would be valuable allies in both the Senate and House.
Throughout it all, Trump maintained his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, engaging in conspiracy theories about voter fraud, and pressing Republican leaders to support changes to curtail voting rights.
Trump’s aides were happy earlier in the fall when Trump’s public appearances and rallie speeches became more focused on rising crime and immigration – key themes through the midterm cycle and issues that they hope will allow him to draw a compelling comparison with Biden as this chapter begins. The former president’s allies have said for years that he sees the 2024 contest as an opportunity for him to regain what he considers his, which is another four years in office.
Trump may not be able to achieve a second consecutive term without difficulty. It could even be very difficult.
History offers only one example of such an accomplishment (after being defeated in 1888, President Grover Cleveland was reelected in 1892). No impeached president ever ran again for office. In 2019, Trump was impeached on charges of abuse and obstruction of justice. He was also impeached again in 2021 for his role in inciting the riot at US Capitol. Although he was cleared by the Senate both times – 10 House Republicans voted to impeach Trump. Seven Republican senators voted for him to be convicted at his Senate trial.
Trump is also the subject of numerous lawsuits and investigations. These include a New York State investigation and a separate Manhattan District Attorney criminal probe into his company’s finances. A Georgia county probe into Biden’s efforts to defeat his election win in the state. Separate Justice Department probes into Trump’s campaign’s scheme for fake electors to battleground states, as well as separate Justice Department probes into Trump’s decision to take classified materials to Mar-a-Lago after he left office.
Trump’s actions since leaving Washington have, in most cases, indicated his interest in a return. Trump decided to break with tradition and plan the comeback that he hopes to make. While many former presidents retire quietly, resurfacing only to help their parties in midterm cycles or to open their presidential libraries, Trump is not like most. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, despite its distance from Washington has become a new hub and home base for his political machine. He is assisted by a small number of paid staffers and has hosted many fundraisers for candidates and committees. A rotating cast of congressional hopefuls and party leaders have filtered through the halls to try and win his endorsement or to re-introduire themselves with his base. Trump’s busy schedule has allowed him to develop close relationships with fringe figures and party leaders – such as Kevin McCarthy, the House GOP leader in California, or Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia – whose support could help him win the primary. Many of his aides have been there since Trump left the White House. He and Wiles, his long-time Florida GOP strategist, plan to keep the campaign running as a slim operation, much like he did in the early days. Wiles, Taylor Budowich and Chris LaCivita are all likely to be involved, as well as Justin Caperole, Steven Cheung, Justin Caperole, Justin Caperole, and Justin Caperole. Brad Parscale, who ran part of Trump’s 2020 campaign failure, will not be involved in Trump’s 2024 operation. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son, will also not participate.
Time at the office
Trump was criticized for many of his actions as president. He was particularly criticised over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the worst public health crisis in almost a century. However, his administration assisted in the creation of vaccines to combat the novel coronavirus. Trump was also criticized for his handling of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017. He was also criticized for the White nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 where Heather Heyer was shot and killed while walking with counterprotesters.
Trump signed tax cuts that were sweeping into law while in office. He also enacted controversial immigration policies. This included a policy that separated immigrant children from their families. The “Remain in Mexico” policy was referred to as a “remain in Mexico” policy. In June, the US Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s successor could end this policy. Trump also appointed hundreds federal judges with strong conservative credentials. Trump also succeeded in naming three Supreme Court justices. Their decisions this year, as part of the court’s majority, have shifted American society rightwards on issues like abortion, guns and climate change.
In 2016, the former real estate businessman was elected to office. He beat out more than a dozen GOP candidates in an ugly primary. Then, he prevailed over Hillary Clinton in a contentious general elections, despite allegations of sexual misconduct that would normally have been campaign-ending.
Trump, as president, was an impulsive leader who broke with established norms. He often announced policy changes and Cabinet personnel changes via Twitter. After the US Capitol Riot, Trump was eventually banned from the platform and later removed from Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
He advocated an “America First” foreign strategy approach. This included pulling the US from international agreements like the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear accord. These controversial moves were criticized by many American allies.
