Donald Trump expected to announce White House bid after midterms
Donald Trump is expected to announce another White House bid shortly after next week’s midterm elections, with US media reporting that the former president is eyeing November 14 as a possible campaign launch date.
Kellyanne Conway, a longtime adviser to the former president who ran his successful 2016 presidential campaign, on Thursday said Trump would announce another run at the White House “soon”.
“I give him a tonne of credit for not announcing this year, for not stepping in the way of the midterm candidates,” Conway told reporters at a roundtable in Washington.
“I think you can expect him to announce soon,” she added. “Obviously there is a family wedding coming up on his property, and election day is late this year. But as he would say: wait and see.”
Trump, 76, has long flirted with another run at the White House, as he repeatedly pushes baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” and “rigged” against him. He appears poised to press ahead with his political ambitions despite legal challenges relating to his business interests and his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
No other Republicans have formally declared their intention to run in 2024, though several have been seen as likely contenders, including Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Trump’s vice-president, Mike Pence. It remains unclear how Trump’s candidacy would impact a potential field, as opinion polls consistently suggest he is the most popular name among grassroots Republican voters.
Axios first reported that Trump and his advisers were discussing an official launch on November 14, less than one week after the midterms and just two days after his daughter, Tiffany, is set to be married at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday for midterm elections that will determine which political party controls Congress and serve as a referendum on Joe Biden’s first two years in office. Opinion polls suggest Republicans are likely to regain control of the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate will probably come down to a handful of races in key swing states, including Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada.
Biden has not formally said he will seek re-election in two years’ time. But Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to the president, said at an event in Washington earlier this week that initial conversations about a future campaign were under way.
Trump has remained a driving force in the Republican party, both behind the scenes and on the campaign trail, endorsing a slate of candidates in primary elections earlier this year and funnelling about $22mn towards Republican candidates this cycle.
That includes $14.8mn that the new Trump-aligned super Pac, Make America Great Again, Inc, has spent on ads since October in battleground Senate races, including about $3mn each on ads targeting Democratic candidates in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
The former president is holding rallies across the country in the final stretch of campaigning. At a rally in Iowa on Thursday night, Trump again teased a White House bid, telling supporters: “In order to make our country successful and safe and glorious, I will very, very, very probably do it again. Very, very, very, probably.
“Get ready, that’s all I’m telling you,” he added. “Very soon.”
In early October, Trump’s main Pac, Save America, transferred $20mn to MAGA Inc, the biggest single expenditure it has made all cycle. An older super Pac, Make America Great Again, Again!, gave $8.9mn to the new super Pac on the same date.
While Save America cannot spend money directly on Trump’s presidential campaign, an aligned super Pac can.
As of October 19, Trump’s network of nine Pacs and aligned super Pacs has amassed about $110mn in cash on hand.