Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday night.
“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” he told supporters at Mar-a-Lago, as seen in the video above. Trump tapped into all too familiar language with proclamations that the U.S. is “being destroyed before your eyes” and has become “a failing nation for millions of Americans” in his absence.
The 76-year-old one-term, twice-impeached POTUS also filed official forms with the Federal Election Commission. President Joe Biden, who will turn 80 on Nov. 20, has recently indicated he intends to run for reelection.
Donald Trump was elected in 2016 and left office in 2021, two weeks after his conspiracies fueled the Jan. 6 capitol riot that caused multiple fatalities. Axios notes the former Apprentice host’s third run for the presidency “comes as Republicans are reevaluating his role as the face of the party following midterm failures and ongoing controversies.”
NPR points out that since the GOP “underachieved” in last week’s midterms, “fingers are being pointed in Trump’s direction, even from within his own party.” The outlet adds that he’s making “an effort to freeze out the GOP presidential field and force Republican elected officials to get off the sidelines and endorse him.”
“This campaign will be about issues, vision and success, and we will not stop, we will not quit, until we’ve achieved the highest goals and made our country greater than it has ever been before,” Trump said on Tuesday night.
The ex-leader’s current legal issues are plentiful. The Department of Justice is looking into his use of classified materials recovered at Mar-a-Lago, as well as his attempts to invalidate the 2020 election results. His alleged pressure to tamper with Georgia election results has prosecutors performing a criminal investigation, and New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a $250 million lawsuit against Trump and three of his kids for purported business fraud. The failed steak salesman is himself suing CNN for defamation, seeking $475 million.
