So far, former President Donald Trumphas only hinted at a possible third bid for the White House in 2024, but an official announcement could come as soon as this month in the face of the January 6 committee’s public hearings.
Those close to Trump have reported that the original plan was to wait until after the midterm elections so the announcement would not draw attention away from the upcoming election’s Republican candidates, but Trump now sees a window to declare his candidacy with President Joe Biden‘s plummeting approval ratings. He also thinks announcing earlier will hold off other Republicans, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence, from putting together a campaign of their own.
A New York Times report claimed that Trump told his team that he may not alert them when he’s officially declaring his candidacy and that he might just make the announcement on social media. Another report from someone close to the former president contradicted that statement by saying it was more likely for Trump to make the announcement at a time when he could ensure maximum press coverage. Other sources have said that he wants to announce as soon as possible so that he has a platform to contradict the information that has come out in the January 6 committee’s public hearings.
Fellow Republicans are split on when Trump should announce. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) called on Trump to make an official statement earlier rather than later to avoid getting wrapped up in the result of the term elections and being unable to focus on policy. Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee Ronna McDaniel, however, has made it clear that she believes a Trump announcement could hurt the party heading into the midterms.
