Trump eyes White House again while his party licks its wounds
Donald Trump was set to launch a fresh White House bid late on Tuesday, hoping to box out potential Republican rivals and return his false claims of election fraud to the center of U.S. politics.
Trump’s announcement, scheduled for 9pm Eastern Time (4am Wednesday in SA), follows a disappointing showing in last week’s midterm congressional elections that many Republicans blame on him.
The unusually early launch may well be aimed at fending off potential challengers for the party’s nomination in 2024, including rising star Florida governor Ron Desantis, 44, and Trump’s former vice-president, Mike Pence, 63.
Sources close to Trump, 76, said he planned to push ahead despite mixed results from his endorsements this year, with losses by celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Don Bolduc in New Hampshire contributing to Republicans’ failure to win a majority in the Senate.
Another Trump-picked candidate, former football star Herschel Walker, was forced into a Dec. 6 runoff in his Georgia race against Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock.
That has raised some concerns that Trump’s announcement could again hurt the party’s chances.
Multiple Trump-aligned candidates who ran on platforms focused on his false claims of widespread election fraud were also defeated.
While control of the House of Representatives is still undecided, the “red wave” that Republicans expected to carry them to a wide majority did not materialize despite Democratic President Joe Biden’s low public-approval ratings.
A Reuters/ipsos poll taken before the election showed that 53% of Americans and almost one in four Republicans view Trump unfavorably.
Trump plans to launch his campaign nearly two years before the Nov. 5, 2024, election despite these concerns, said two sources familiar with his plans.
Pence was set to release a book on Tuesday detailing Trump’s unsuccessful pressure campaign to overturn his 2020 defeat.
Even though court and state election officials rejected Trump’s false election claims, about two-thirds of Republican voters believe Biden’s victory was illegitimate, according to Reuters/ipsos polling.