Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign

Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign
Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States who served from 2017 to 2021, announced his campaign for a non-consecutive second presidential term in the 2024 U.S. presidential election on November 15, 2022.
After his loss in the 2020 United States presidential election, Trump and his allies in seven key states allegedly devised a plot to create and submit fraudulent certificates of ascertainment that falsely asserted Trump had won the electoral college vote in those states. The intent was to pass the fraudulent certificates to Mike Pence to count them rather than the authentic certificates and overturn Joe Biden's victory. Trump reportedly had been considering a 2024 presidential run immediately after his loss in the election if the plot failed to "work out." In the week of November 9, 2020, Trump indicated to Republican Party senator Kevin Cramer: "If this doesn't work out, I'll just run again in four years." Later, a group of Trump's supporters attacked the United States Capitol building to prevent the election results from being certified.
In December 2021, CNN reported that "Trump's wait-and-see approach to the 2024 election has frozen the next Republican presidential primary", with potential challengers keeping their heads down while awaiting Trump's official decision on the matter. After months of speculation, Trump announced his candidacy for president in a November 15, 2022, speech to supporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His announcement received wide media coverage and a mixed response from both Democrats and Republicans. Some Democrats warily welcomed the campaign, viewing Trump as beatable, while others opposed it, citing negative effects it could have on U.S. democracy. Some Republicans, consisting mostly of Trump loyalists, welcomed the campaign, while others (including many Republican elected officials) opposed it, viewing Trump as a weak and beatable candidate who had cost the Republicans the past several election cycles.
In August 2023, Trump was indicted separately both by the federal government and the state of Georgia on numerous criminal conspiracy and fraud charges he is alleged to have committed along with co-conspirators during efforts to illegally change and overturn the results of the lost 2020 presidential election. The indictments allege that Trump engaged in a criminal conspiracy to illegally alter the results of the 2020 election via fraudulent electors in the Trump fake electors plot as well as pressuring government officials to illegally change vote tallies during incidents such as the Trump-Raffensperger phone call. Prior to these indictments on charges relating to Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, on March 30, 2023, Trump was also indicted for 34 felony counts of fraud stemming from his alleged role in falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign. Trump called his indictment political persecution and election interference. Later, on June 8, Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly improperly retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence and destroying evidence related to the government probe. In addition to the four criminal indictments brought against Trump in Georgia, Washington, Florida, and New York, on May 9, Trump was found liable in a civil lawsuit for sexual abuse and defamation against journalist E. Jean Carroll. Trump said that he will appeal the decision, describing it to be "unconstitutional silencing" and "political persecution."
Background
Trump, the incumbent president, unsuccessfully sought election to a second term in the 2020 United States presidential election, losing to Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who obtained an electoral vote of 306 to Trump's 232. Trump also lost the popular vote by 7 million votes. He refused to concede the loss and claimed that the election was stolen. With one week remaining in his presidency, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for incitement of insurrection for his actions during the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill attack, but was acquitted in the Senate with a bipartisan 57–43 vote in favor of conviction, which fell short of the two-thirds supermajority (67 out of 100 senators) required.
In the days before the end of his term in January 2021, Trump began discussing the possibility of forming a third party, to be called the "Patriot Party", to contest the election against both Democratic and Republican candidates. Spokespersons for Trump later denied that he had such plans.
In July 2022, as the public hearings of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack were progressing, Trump was reportedly considering making an early announcement of his 2024 candidacy. On July 14, 2022, Intelligencer published an interview with Trump, based upon which they reported that Trump had already made up his mind, and was just deciding when to declare. Following the August 2022 FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, many of Trump's allies urged that he announce his candidacy sooner, including some who had previously advised that he defer an announcement until after the mid-term elections. During a rally in Iowa in the run-up to the 2022 United States midterm elections, Trump stated, "in order to make our country successful and safe and glorious, I will very, very, very probably do it again", indicating that he might announce his candidacy soon thereafter, prompting speculation that he would announce as soon as the week of November 14, 2022.
Announcement
On November 15, 2022, Trump announced his candidacy at Mar-a-Lago in an hour-long speech. The announcement came one week after the 2022 mid-term elections in which Trump-endorsed candidates underperformed non-Trump-endorsed candidates. His announcement speech had at least "20 false and misleading claims", uttering the first inaccurate claim "about two minutes in and a few minutes later, tick(ing) off at least four hyperbolic claims about his own accomplishments". The New York Times Fact Check stated that "Mr. Trump repeated many familiar exaggerations about his own achievements, reiterated misleading attacks on political opponents and made dire assessments that were at odds with reality."
The New York Post mocked Trump's announcement by relegating it to page 26 and noting it on the cover with a banner reading "Florida Man Makes Announcement". The article referred to Mar-a-Lago as "Trump's classified-documents library" in reference to the ongoing investigation regarding Trump's alleged improper handling of classified materials which he had brought to Mar-a-Lago following his presidency for as yet unclear reasons.
Attendees
The announcement was attended by comedian Alex Stein; consultant Roger Stone; businessman Mike Lindell; outgoing Representative Madison Cawthorn (R-NC); former deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought; political advisor Jason Miller; attorney Kash Patel; political analyst Sebastian Gorka; and political aide Hogan Gidley. The Insider noted "many members of congress were not in attendance", including Matt Gaetz. Family members who attended included Trump's wife and former first lady Melania, Trump's sons Barron and Eric, Eric's wife Lara, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. His daughters Ivanka and Tiffany did not attend the announcement party; Ivanka said she would not be engaging in politics going forward and would not be a part of her father's presidential bid. Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. also did not attend. Stan Fitzgerald president of Veterans for America First attended
Platform
In campaign speeches, Trump stated that he would centralize government power under his authority, replace career federal employees with political appointees, and use the military for domestic law enforcement and the deportation of immigrants. He used violent rhetoric, calling for shoplifters to be shot and making fun of the hammer attack that critically injured the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Campaign events
On January 28, 2023, Trump held his first campaign events in South Carolina and New Hampshire.
On March 4, 2023, Trump delivered a lengthy keynote speech at the CPAC convention, also attended by Nikki Haley, but not by other prospective Republican candidates. In his speech, Trump promised to serve as the retribution for those who were wronged, and stated that he was the only candidate who could prevent World War III.
On March 25, 2023, Trump staged a rally in Waco, Texas during the 30th anniversary of the Waco siege.
In late April, Trump suggested he was not interested in debating other Republican contenders, at least not until later in the year.
On May 10, 2023, Trump appeared one-on-one with news host Kaitlan Collins on CNN Republican Town Hall with Donald Trump at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, with an audience of Republican and undecided voters. During the event Trump took credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, supported defaulting on the national debt in the debt ceiling showdown, and again claimed that the 2020 election was stolen. Trump also suggested pardoning those convicted as a result of the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
Eligibility
The questions of Trump's eligibility to run for president in 2024 are delineated by the U.S. Constitution. Two amendments addressing this issue are the 14th and 22nd Amendments.
Eligibility under the 22nd Amendment
Trump has only been elected president once, in 2016, so is not limited from running again by the 22nd Amendment, which permits two full terms. Even before losing the 2020 election, he publicly proclaimed his willingness to seek a third term in 2024, despite this being explicitly prohibited. Trump claimed that Barack Obama had spied on him and his campaign, and that this meant he was "'entitled' [to a third term] because he was spied on."
Trump is seeking to become the second president to ever serve non-consecutive terms, after Grover Cleveland who was re-elected in 1892. The last one-term president to campaign for a second non-consecutive term was Herbert Hoover, who after serving from 1929 to 1933 made unsuccessful runs in 1936 and 1940 after his loss in 1932.
Eligibility under the 14th Amendment
In the aftermath of the American Civil War, the 14th Amendment was passed. Section 3 of the amendment prohibits anyone from holding public office if they had previously sworn an oath to support the Constitution, but then "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the [United States], or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof." The full text of this section reads:
Trump's role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack is cited by opponents as a reason for his disqualification from seeking public office. On January 10, 2021, Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, formally requested Representatives' input as to whether Section 3 pertained to the outgoing President. On January 13, 2021, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for 'incitement of insurrection' by a vote of 232-to-197. On February 13, 2021, the Senate voted on the charge, with 57 senators casting votes of 'Guilty' to 43 as 'Not Guilty'; removal by impeachment requires a two-thirds supermajority of the United States Senate to convict in an impeachment trial.
Some legal experts believe a court would be required to make a final determination if Trump was disqualified under Section 3. In September 2022, a New Mexico District Court Judge removed local official Couy Griffin from office due to his participation in the January 6 attack, which some commentators felt established a precedent to bar Trump from office.
A state may also make a determination that Trump is disqualified under Section 3 from appearing on that state's ballot. Trump could appeal in court any disqualification by Congress or by a state. In addition to state or federal legislative action, a court action could be brought against Trump seeking his disqualification under Section 3. The 14th Amendment itself provides a path for Congress to allow such a candidate to run, but this would require a vote of two-thirds of each House to remove such disability.
Efforts to keep Trump off state ballots
The non-profit group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and other advocacy groups and individuals are planning state-by-state efforts to keep Trump off state ballots.
Post-announcement developments
Three days after Trump announced his candidacy, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith to serve as special counsel for the investigations regarding Trump's role in the January 6 attack and into mishandling of government records. Special counsels can be appointed when there can be a conflict of interest or the appearance of it, and Garland said the announced political candidacies of both Trump and President Biden prompted him to take what he described as an "extraordinary step". Special counsel investigations operate largely independent of Justice Department control under decades-old federal regulations, and Garland said the "appointment underscores the department's commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters".
On November 19, 2022, Elon Musk, four weeks after taking ownership of Twitter, resinstated both Trump's personal account and Trump's campaign account, nearly two years after Trump was permanently banned from the platform by previous Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, due to Twitter's Glorification of Violence and Civic Integerity policies, following the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
In late November 2022, Kanye West announced his own candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. Shortly thereafter, West visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago, bringing with him Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist and Holocaust denier. West claimed that after he asked Trump to be his vice-presidential candidate, "Trump started basically screaming at me at the table telling me I was going to lose". Trump responded with a statement that West "unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about", and in a further statement acknowledged advising West to drop out of the race. Several other possible 2024 contenders spoke in the aftermath of this event, with Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson calling the meeting "very troubling", and Trump's former vice president Mike Pence calling on Trump to apologize for giving Fuentes "a seat at the table". Mitch McConnell said that Trump was unlikely to win the 2024 presidential election as a result of the dinner.
On December 3, 2022, following the publication of "The Twitter Files" by Elon Musk, Trump complained of election fraud and posted to Truth Social, calling for "the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution."
Vice-presidential choice
Mike Pence served as Trump's vice president from 2017 to 2021, with Pence having been Trump's chosen running mate in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. In March 2021, Bloomberg News reported that if Trump runs again in 2024, Pence "likely won't be on the ticket" and that Trump had "discussed alternatives to Pence", while Trump's advisors "have discussed identifying a Black or female running mate for his next run". In April 2021, Trump indicated that he was considering Florida governor Ron DeSantis for the position, noting his friendship with him; he later criticized and ridiculed DeSantis who launched his own presidential campaign on May 24, 2023. In June 2022, a former aide testified that Trump had opined to his staff during the Capitol Hill attack that Pence "deserved" the chants of "hang Mike Pence" made by the mob. Names raised as possible candidates for the position include South Dakota governor Kristi Noem and South Carolina senator Tim Scott.
Endorsements
A number of Republican officials at both federal and state levels were quick to endorse Trump's candidacy, while others were noted for being silent on the question, with a few stating opposition, including former Attorney General Bill Barr, Senator Bill Cassidy, and Senator Mitt Romney.
Support
Politico noted in December 2020 that many Republican figures were expressing support for a Trump 2024 run, quoting Missouri Senator Josh Hawley as saying "If he were to run in 2024, I think he would be the nominee. And I would support him doing that." National public opinion polling showed Trump quickly dominating the field of potential 2024 Republican candidates. Utah Senator Mitt Romney, though opposed to Trump, stated in February 2021 that if Trump ran in 2024, he would win the Republican nomination in a landslide. The same month, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he would "absolutely" support Trump if the latter was nominated again.
Russian state TV host Olga Skabeyeva said
Russia, which interfered in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections to aid Trump, "will have to think whether to reinstall him again as the American president." In April 2022, American intelligence officials assessed that Russia intended to exact revenge on the Biden administration for its sanctions against Russia and aid for Ukraine by intervening in the election on Trump's behalf. A Russian state TV host, Evgeny Popov, said in March 2020, "to again help our partner Trump to become president".
Opposition
The donor network of Charles Koch announced it would fund a primary challenge to Trump.
Nikki Haley announced her 2024 presidential campaign on February 14, 2023, becoming the first challenger to Trump in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries. One of her first statements as a candidate was to call for candidates over the age of 75—which would include both Trump and Biden—to be required to take a competency test.
Primary election polling
Aggregate polls
Head-to-head polling
General election polling
Aggregate polls
See also
Ron DeSantis 2024 presidential campaign
Joe Biden 2024 presidential campaign
Notes
References
External links
Campaign website
2022 establishments in the United States
2024 Republican Party (United States) presidential campaigns
Presidential campaign, 2024
2022 in American politics
2023 in American politics
2023 in American law
Democratic backsliding in the United States
Donald Trump
Right-wing populism in the United States