Despite a worse-than-expected election day, run-off votes in Georgia, nervous advisers and even a hurricane, Donald Trump is now full speed ahead to announce his candidacy for president next Tuesday. increase.
Sources familiar with the event said his upcoming announcement at 9pm ET at his Mar-a-Lago compound will be full of MAGA glitz and circumstance, and promises to rekindle the demoralized GOP base. It’s purpose.
“The president will be making a special announcement on Tuesday,” a person familiar with the decision told the Daily Beast on Thursday.
Trump is expected to formally declare his candidacy next week after teasing his decision at a rally of then-Ohio senator candidate (now elected to the Senate) JD Vance Monday night. was
Since Monday night, however, the political news pandemonium has continued. The midterm elections didn’t go as well as Republicans had hoped, with many Republicans saying Republicans should turn the page to Trump. voted. Trump’s feud with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has escalated. Hurricane Nicole, downgraded to a tropical storm but still devastating, has made landfall on the coast of Florida. And a dramatic leadership election in the House, now scheduled for Tuesday, could steal some of Trump’s news coverage.
Still, Trump seems desperate to announce on Tuesday. As one source in Trump’s orbit told The Daily Beast, “Rock and roll!”
The decision came at a time when some Trumpworld advisers openly questioned whether the timing was right. And if there is any debate about whether Trump’s announcement will be good for the Republican election hopes in Georgia, the question is whether some of Trump’s most prominent former advisers will be on TV and that Trump will The answer might be to say that it should be postponed.
On Wednesday, Trump adviser and CEO of Gettr, Jason Miller, warned that Trump’s announcement could affect the spill in Georgia.
“Of course, President Trump said he would announce it next Tuesday, November 15th. We are advising the president to hold off until after the race in Georgia,” Miller told Newsmax on Wednesday.
Similarly, former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany urged President Trump to refrain from announcing his 2024 presidential run.
“I know there’s a temptation to start talking about 2024. No, no, no, no, no,” she told Fox News. “2022 isn’t over yet.”
“I think he needs to pause it,” McEnany said of Trump’s expected Tuesday announcement.
It’s not that other advisors don’t understand the wisdom of deferring. Going back, they say, would show “weakness” in the field of potential rivals and foes in 2024.
“It’s hard to hold on at this point because it shows weakness. But it’s also possible he’ll come up with some reason,” the adviser told the Daily Beast.
That same source said in the “unlikely” event that Trump would retract Tuesday’s announcement, he would say things like “a hurricane is targeting my house” or “I need to focus on the Herschel Walker race.” It added that reasons could be included.
A Trump spokesperson did not respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
Part of Trump’s problem is that he wants to get ahead of his Republican rivals who are eyeing a 2024 run.
Most notably DeSantis, who scored a landslide victory Tuesday night despite the unexpected loss of other Republicans.
Unlike its predecessor, DeSantis’ inner orbit is run in a very different way, largely by a tight-knit and “small” group of advisors who are leak-proof.
At a rally in Pennsylvania last weekend, the former president couldn’t resist confirming DeSantis’ name. His new nickname is “Ron his Desanctimonias”.
Over the past few months, Trump has personally complained about DeSantis. But it’s only recently that his moans have spilled out into the public eye.
Trump repeatedly trailed DeSantis on Thursday night. In typical Trump fashion, he made lengthy ramblings on social media.
“Ron DeSanctimonias is playing a game!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “The Fake News asked Trump if he would run if he ran for president, and he replied, ‘I’m just focused on the governor’s race, not on the future.’ In terms of loyalty and rank, that’s not really the right answer.”
Trump called DeSantis an “average” Republican, explaining his growing popularity in Florida, which attracts Republican voters who want to soak up the “sun.”
People familiar with the matter say DeSantis remains a pet peeve for the former president. Specifically, Trump was furious that DeSantis didn’t “thank” the former president, according to a source who spoke with Trump on the matter.
One of Trump’s motives for announcing the 2024 election so early is to discourage other Republicans from running, especially DeSantis. As soon as Trump makes an announcement, he will make DeSantis more offensive. But Trump isn’t just trying to get rid of DeSantis.
After losing at least 17 Trump-backed candidates at the ballot box Tuesday, Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan moaned about the middling success of anti-Trump voices.
“I was talking about a bigger tent,” Hogan told CBS News. had a really good night. Trump’s side didn’t.”
Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence also appears poised to announce a bid, but with Trump already running, the candidacy is also complicated.
But many believe Trump’s early candidacy was a ruse to prevent the Justice Department from indicting him. It’s possible, but it’s also possible that the Justice Department will be dissuaded if Trump has already been declared the nominee.
All of these factors are plausible explanations for what Trump announced two years before the election. But the simplest explanation might be that Trump is Trump. He had been discussing his candidacy throughout his absence, and aides had repeatedly talked him out of the announcement.
Advisors say Trump is having a bit of a hard time campaigning, and he’s ironing out a lot of things.
“Trump will come out in style on Tuesday,” one adviser said. “People forget that he gutted 16 Republicans in 2016 and has been holding back the entire party through fear ever since.”
“I’m sure there will be challengers,” the adviser continued. “But they had better prepare for war, because nothing is off the negotiating table.”
