Donald Trump announced his bid to run for the presidency again in 2024 on Tuesday to fend off possible Republican challengers.
A week after the midterm elections, in which Republicans did not succeed in capturing as many seats in Congress as they had wanted, Trump made his declaration at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, seeking a potential rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.
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In a speech lasting little more than an hour, Trump spoke to hundreds of supporters in a ballroom decorated with chandeliers and lined with American flags.
“In order to make America great again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump said to the phone-waving crowd, which included family members, donors, and former staffers.
“In order to make America great again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump said to the phone-waving crowd, which included family members, donors, and former staffers.
Trump steered clear of the name-calling that has marked other public appearances, opting instead for a critique of Biden’s presidency and a review of what Trump said were the policy achievements of his own time in office.
“Two years ago we were a great nation and soon we will be a great nation again,” he said.
Trump laid out familiar dark themes from his playbook, denouncing migrants – “We’re being poisoned” – and portraying American cities as crime-ridden “cesspools of blood.”
Trump’s announcement of running for the presidency comes earlier than usual, even in a country known for protracted presidential campaigns, and signals his interest in discouraging other possible contenders, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis or his own former vice president, Mike Pence, from making a bid for the Republican Party’s nomination.
With additional inputs from Reuters.
