Trump kicks off 2024 campaign with stops in early-voting states
Former president Donald Trump was set to kick off his 2024 White House bid on Saturday with visits to a pair of early-voting states, his first campaign events since announcing his latest run more than two months ago.
Trump was set to be the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire GOP'S annual meeting before travelling to Columbia, South Carolina, where he planned to introduce his state leadership team. New Hampshire and South Carolina hold two of the party's first three nominating contests, giving them enormous power in selecting the nominee. In recent weeks, Trump's backers have reached out to political operatives and elected officials to secure support for Trump at a critical point when other Republicans are preparing their own expected challenges.
“The gun is fired, and the campaign season has started," said Stephen Stepanek, outgoing chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party who served as co-chair of Trump's 2016 campaign in the state.
While Trump remains the only declared 2024 presidential candidate, potential challengers, including Florida Governor Ron Desantis, former vice-president Mike Pence and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who was Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, are expected to get their campaign underway in the coming months.
In South Carolina, Governor Henry Mcmaster, US Senator Lindsey Graham and several members of the state's congressional delegation planned to attend Saturday's event at the Statehouse. But Trump's team has struggled to line up support from state lawmakers.—