Former US President Donald Trump has announced his presidential run for the 2024 election.
It was announced by Mr. Trump at his private club Mar-a-Lago on November 16th. The speech came after he had filed with the Federal Election Commission, declaring his intent to run for president and establishing a fundraising account.
Mr. Trump made his speech with his wife, Former First Lady Melania Trump, in attendance of his family members, political allies, and his supporters. It lasted for more than an hour and touched on subjects and themes found when he was running in 2016 and 2020.
However, Mr. Trump faces many obstacles in his path toward the presidency.
The first is the multiple investigations underway against him and his businesses. As part of investigations by the US Department of Justice, the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in search of confidential documents Mr. Trump took with him when he left office. He faces criminal investigations in the states of New York and Georgia for business fraud by the Trump Organization and for his attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. He, as well, is under investigation by the US Congress for the storming of the US Capitol that occurred in January 2021.
Next is funding. Important Republican donors like Stephen Schwarzman and Ken Griffin who supported Trump’s 2016 and 2020 bids have refused to fund his 2024 run. They believe it is time for a new Republican candidate to run.
The recent US midterm election, which normally supports the party that is not in power, ended terribly for the Republican Party. Despite an unpopular Democratic administration and troubles with inflation and the economy, Republicans failed to take control of the US Senate and are set for a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. Trump-supported candidates in very competitive states have largely lost.
This has led to calls by members of the Republican Party discouraging Mr. Trump from running for office. “He won’t clear the field,” Republican governor Chris Sununu told Fox News, “he’s never been weaker politically.” Instead, Republican eyes are looking toward Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as their presidential nominee after he won reelection in a landslide.
Though Mr. Trump faces many challenges, he still maintains many allies within the Republican Party. His very early announcement is meant to build momentum for his campaign and discourage potential candidates from running. And Mr. Trump’s ability of unexpected victories should never be forgotten, as evidenced by his 2016 election.
When asked if he had a reaction to Trump’s announcement, President Joe Biden smirked. “No, not really,” he said.
