Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday night that he will run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, trying to become only the second commander-in-chief ever elected to two non-consecutive terms.
“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump told a crowd gathered at Mar-a-Lago, his waterfront estate in Florida, where his campaign will be headquartered.
Trump made a somewhat modest address, surrounded by pals, advisers, and conservative influencers, that was riddled with false and inflated claims about his four years in office. Despite a historically contentious presidency and his participation in provoking an attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump sought to create nostalgia for his time in office, constantly comparing his first-term successes with the policies and economic situation of the Biden administration. Many of those claimed achievements, ranging from stringent immigration policies to business tax cuts and religious freedom programs, remain divisive to this day.
Trump told a gathering of Republicans who anticipate him to face primary rivals in the coming months that the GOP cannot afford to choose “a politician or conventional candidate” if it wants to reclaim the White House.
“This will not be my campaign, this will be our campaign all together,” Trump said.
Trump’s long-awaited campaign comes as he attempts to retake the limelight following the Republican Party’s dismal midterm election result – including the losses of numerous Trump-endorsed election candidates – and the accompanying blame game that has ensued since Election Day. Republicans failed to gain a Senate majority, fell short of filling several statewide seats, and have yet to secure a House majority, with only 215 races called in their favor so far out of the 218 needed, forcing Trump and other party leaders into a defensive posture as they face criticism from within their ranks.
The Federal Election Commission received Trump’s paperwork launching his candidacy just before his announcement at Mar-a-Lago.
He spent barely a portion of his speech reiterating his falsehoods about the 2020 race, much to the pleasure of advisers and friends who have long counseled him to wage a forward-looking campaign. Though he called for paper ballots and compared America’s electoral system to that of “third-world countries,” Trump also attempted to extend his criticisms, criticizing the “huge corruption” and “entrenched interests” that he believes have engulfed Washington. Many of Trump’s closest aides are concerned that his obsession with pushing conspiracy theories about the 2016 presidential election would make it more difficult for him to win a national election in 2024.
Throughout his hour-long address, Trump made it obvious that he wants Republicans to regard his campaign as a sacrifice.
“Anyone who truly seeks to take on this rigged and corrupt system will be faced with a storm of fire that only a few could understand,” he said at one point, describing the legal and emotional toll his presidency and post-presidential period has taken on his family members.