'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Donald Trump is reportedly planning to run for president once again in 2024, as per recent speculations. Last week, Infowars host Alex Jones claimed that the former president would be running a bid for his second term in 2024 and would make an official announcement about the same on July 4:
“Donald Trump is set to announce his run for 2024 on Monday, which is a very special day. We're shooting this right now during a break during my live show on June 29, Wednesday edition. That means in five days, on July 4, President Trump is going to announce he's running for his second term.”
Jones also alleged that Trump's announcement would have “explosive political, cultural, economic, medical, [and] financial implications.”
The latest speculation about Trump’s presidential run comes amid growing outrage over the results of the House Select committee’s investigation of the January 6 US Capitol attack and revelations of Trump’s alleged actions amid the ongoing riot.
On Thursday, Republican Senator Pat Toomey appeared on Bloomberg’s Balance of Power podcast hosted by David Westin and said that the January 6 investigation could damage Donald Trump’s chances of winning the 2024 presidential election:
“The revelations from this committee make his path to even the Republican nomination much more tenuous. Never say never, and he decides whether to throw his hat in the ring, but I think we’ll have a stronger candidate.”
He continued:
“I think he disqualified himself from serving in public office by virtue of his post-election behavior, especially leading right up to January 6.”
Prior to the latest statement, Toomey was one of seven Republicans who voted in favor of Trump’s conviction during the impeachment trial over his role in the January 6 US Capitol attack.
In addition to Toomey, Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney, who serves as the vice chair of the January 6 committee, asked members of the party to choose the constitution over Trump:
“We have to choose, because Republicans cannot both be loyal to Donald Trump and loyal to the Constitution.”
The House Select committee’s hearings have so far investigated the alleged pressure created by Trump on state and Justice Department officials to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The committee also included testimony from former Mark Meadows’ top aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who provided detailed insight about Trump’s alleged actions during the January 6 attack and his desire to overturn Joe Biden’s win.
Donald Trump’s allies share their thoughts on the former’s possible run for the 2024 presidential elections
As speculation surrounding Donald Trump’s plan to run for president in 2024 continued to make the rounds, some of his allies reportedly agreed that the January 6 House committee’s investigation has been damaging to Trump’s reputation.
According to CNN, a GOP source aware of the current situation said that Trump was considering the first week of July to make his official announcement. Meanwhile, several others said that the former president lacks the infrastructure for a major campaign announcement at the moment.
Another source told the publication that Trump would only make an announcement after alerting the press for maximum coverage of the event. One person close to Trump also said that he sounded “more committed lately,” and if he planned on making an early announcement, “it will be July.”
Meanwhile, another source claimed that Trump’s sudden decision was fuelled by the January 6 committee’s investigation and Hutchinson’s testimony:
“He knows that if he announces [a run for president], he'll be center stage again.”
Other sources have also opined that the real reason behind Donald Trump’s urgency to announce his presidential run is due to steady competition from other potential Republican members like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, among others.
As per a majority of sources, Trump’s strongest potential rival at the moment is Governor Ron DeSantis. Speaking on a possible competition between DeSantis and Trump, a source told People:
“Ron DeSantis is popular with Florida Republican voters, which is a good indication of how he would do nationally. He is not afraid to speak out on unpopular issues, and even more important than that, he is not afraid of Donald Trump.”
Another insider said that the rising competition between the two has also created a “political friction”:
“Donald Trump thinks DeSantis owes his political career to him, and this has caused political friction. Plus, they were never close friends. They never mixed well.”
Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg told the outlet that Trump created a platform for DeSantis to shine:
“Trump is right that he created DeSantis. Polls showed that Trump's 2018 endorsement gave DeSantis an edge in the Florida governor's race. You don't shove Dr. Frankenstein aside.”
However, he also mentioned that Ron DeSantis would allegedly not back down from running for president:
“DeSantis has not promised to step aside. He is running for president and doesn't care who gets in his way.”
Speaking on Donald Trump’s possible announcement, his longtime adviser Jason Miller told NBC that he believes the former president should utilize the current situation for his next move:
“I think that there being clarity about what his intentions are [is important] so he can start building that operation while it’s still fresh in people’s minds and they’re still active — a lot of that can be converted into 2024 action.”
However, a second adviser said it would be best for Trump to wait a little longer before making the announcement. Two more insiders told NBC News that they were informally asked to hold July 4 as a potential date for the announcement, but Miller said that the claims were “not true.”
Donald Trump’s spokesman Taylor Budowich also provided a statement to NBC regarding the situation but did not mention any specific date behind the announcement:
“America was strong, prosperous, and greatly respected under President Trump, and that’s why he continues to have unprecedented strength through his endorsement record, and the demand for his leadership has never been higher.”
Amid the ongoing speculations, Donald Trump is scheduled to host a rally for Alaska Senate Republican candidate Kelly Tshibaka on July 9, which is being considered his next public appearance on the campaign trail.
