Nikki Haley announces 2024 presidential bid in first major GOP ...

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley launched the presidential bid she has teased for weeks, tweeting out a video Tuesday saying that, yes, she is indeed running for president.

"I'm Nikki Haley and I'm running for president," she said in the video her campaign put out a day before her scheduled announcement speech in Charleston, South Carolina.

Haley, the former U.N. ambassador, uses the video to sketch out her biography and attack President Joe Biden and the Democrats - but she says nothing about former President Donald Trump, at least not explicitly.

At the end of the video, Haley sends a potential message to the volatile Trump by asserting she will fight back against "bullies;" she also references the fact she may be the only woman in the Republican presidential field.

“You should know this about me, I don’t put up with bullies," Haley said. "And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.”

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Haley, other 2024 Republican candidates to challenge Trump

In the weeks since Haley's plans became public, Trump and his allies have stressed that she once said she would not seek the presidency if Trump did.

Haley's declaration makes her the first major Republican candidate to challenge Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. She is also the first member of his cabinet to seek the presidency, having served as his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Other prominent Republicans are also considering presidential runs, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a rival of Haley's during the Trump presidency.

Haley's video and the Charleston speech also come as fellow South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott mulls a possible presidential announcement.

Haley has repeatedly bragged that she has "never lost a race."

Who is Nikki Haley? Former S.C GOP governor announces run for president in 2024

The Haley biography

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley was originally born Nimrata Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina.

Haley's time as governor and the bill to remove Confederate flag

Haley became South Carolina's first female and Asian American governor when she was elected in 2010; she won reelection in 2014. Before that, she spent six years in the South Carolina Legislature.

One of her most notable acts as governor came in 2015 when Haley signed a bill ordering the removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds following the killing of nine Black worshipers at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston by a white supremacist.

The Confederate flag has long been considered a sign of slavery.

"It's time to move the flag from the Capitol grounds," Haley said during a June 22 news conference.

Another act that Haley made with long-term implications: She appointed Tim Scott to replace retiring Sen. Jim DeMint in 2012.

Other candidates:Current and former governors offer glimpse into what could be contentious 2024 presidential election

Haley on the national stage

In 2016, she gave the Republican response to former President Barack Obama's State of the Union. One topic she made sure to discuss: immigration.

“We must fix our broken immigration system. That means stopping illegal immigration," said Haley. "And it means welcoming properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion. Just like we have for centuries."

That same year, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people. Fellow S.C. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote a description of Haley for the magazine.

In 2017, Haley served as Trump's U.N. ambassador; in 2018 she unexpectedly stepped down amid disputes with other administration members.

During her tenure, Haley announced sanctions against Russia – a move that rankled White House aides. National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow suggested Haley had "momentary confusion" over the Trump administration's actions.

"With all due respect, I don't get confused," Haley replied.

In June 2018 Haley announced the U.S. was pulling out of the United Nations Human Rights Council. "I want to make it crystal clear that this step is not a retreat from our human rights commitments," Haley said.

Why is Haley running for president?

She previously said she wouldn't run for president if Trump decided to run. In 2020, Haley told USA TODAY it was too early to make a decision on running for the White House.

In gearing up for her presidential run, the 51-year-old Haley has stressed her relative youth in contrast to the 80-year-old Biden and the 76-year-old Trump and called for a "new generation" of political leadership.

In posting her announcement video, Haley tweeted: "Get excited! Time for a new generation. Let’s do this!"

What does Haley stand for?

Haley is an anti-abortion Republican and a supporter of Israel. She supports cracking down on illegal immigration. Haley did not support legislation in South Carolina that would have required transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender assigned at birth.

While Haley has supported Trump in the past, she has also criticized Trump, including after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. Haley once said she would not support Trump's ban on Muslim immigration. Yet she supported Trump when he blocked people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. “It’s not a Muslim ban,” Haley said at the time.

Nikki Haley 2024: What to know about former S.C. governor

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley launched the presidential bid she has been teasing for weeks, tweeting out a video Tuesday saying that, yes, she is indeed seeking the White House.

"I'm Nikki Haley and I'm running for president," the former South Carolina governor said in the video her campaign put out a day before her scheduled announcement speech in Charleston, S.C.

Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and U.N. ambassador, sketches out her biography and attacks President Joe Biden and the Democrats - but says nothing about Donald Trump, at least not directly.

At the end of the video, Haley sends a potential message to the volatile Trump by asserting she will fight back against "bullies;" she also references the fact she may be the only woman in the Republican presidential field.

“You should know this about me, I don’t put up with bullies," Haley said. "And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.”

More:Nikki Haley announces 2024 presidential bid in first major GOP challenge to Donald Trump

In the weeks since Haley's plans became public, Trump and his allies have stressed that she once said she would not seek the presidency if Trump did.

Haley's declaration makes her the first major Republican to challenge former President Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination, as well as the first member of his cabinet — Haley was previously Trump's U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The Charleston event also comes as fellow South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott mulls a possible presidential announcement.

Haley though, has repeatedly bragged that she has "never lost a race."

2024 race:Nikki Haley to launch 2024 presidential bid in Charleston on Feb. 15, taking on Trump

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley was originally born Nimrata Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina.

Here's what to know about Haley:

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What did Haley do as governor of South Carolina?

Haley became South Carolina's first female and Asian American governor when she was elected in 2010; she won reelection in 2014. Before that she spent six years in the South Carolina legislature.

One of her most notable acts as governor came in 2015 when Haley signed a bill ordering the removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds following the killing of nine Black worshipers at the Emanuel AME Church by a white supremacist.

The Confederate flag has long been considered a sign of slavery.

"It's time to move the flag from the Capitol grounds," Haley said during a June 22 news conference.

Another act that Haley made with long term implications: She appointed Tim Scott to replace retiring Senator Jim DeMint in 2012.

The race to 2024:Current and former governors offer glimpse into what could be contentious presidential election

In 2016, she gave the Republican response to former President Barack Obama's State of the Union. One topic she made sure to discuss: immigration.

“We must fix our broken immigration system. That means stopping illegal immigration," said Haley. "And it means welcoming properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion. Just like we have for centuries."

That same year, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people. Fellow S.C. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote a description on Haley for the magazine.

What did she accomplish as UN ambassador?

In 2017, Haley served as Trump's U.N. ambassador. In 2018 she unexpectedly stepped down.

During her tenure, Haley announced sanctions against Russia—a move that rankled White House aides. National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow suggested Haley had "momentary confusion" over the Trump administration's actions.

"With all due respect, I don't get confused," Haley replied.

In June 2018 Haley announced the U.S. was pulling out of the UN Human Rights Council. "I want to make it crystal clear that this step is not a retreat from our human rights commitments," Haley said.

What does Nikki Haley stand for?

Haley is a pro-life Republican and a supporter of Israel. She supports cracking down on illegal immigration. Haley did not support legislation in South Carolina that would have required transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender assigned at birth.

While Haley has supported Trump in the past, she has also criticized Trump, including after the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. Haley once said she would not support Trump's ban on Muslim immigration. Yet she supported Trump when he blocked people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. “It’s not a Muslim ban,” Haley said at the time.

Ivanka Trump bows out of politics after her father launches 2024 bid

Ivanka Trump announced that she does “not plan to be involved in politics” after former President Donald Trump, her father, announced his campaign for the 2024 presidential election this week.

“I love my father very much,” she shared on Instagram Tuesday night after her father made his announcement. “This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family.

“I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena.”

Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, served as senior advisers to her father.

Trump testified to the House Jan. 6 committee earlier this year. During one of the committee's hearings, lawmakers played a clip from her testimony in which she said she "accepted" the Justice Department's findings that there was no fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Ivanka Trump did not attend her father’s campaign announcement this week.

Politics:Yes, a second Trump administration would be limited to one term – per the US Constitution

Does the GOP have to nominate Trump? Will Biden be picked in 2024? Here's what to know

The former president announced his bid for the White House late Tuesday and filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, saying he would run for president in 2024 and setting up a fundraising account.

Donald Trump could be facing challenges from several fellow Republicans as he seeks the GOP’s nomination, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence. President JBiden has said he intends to seek reelection, though he has noted he will not make his final decision until early next year.

Contributing: Ken Tran, USA TODAY

Liz Cheney for president 2024? Live updates after Wyoming primary ...

Rep. Liz Cheney said Wednesday she would decide on 2024 election plans over 'coming months.'

Harriet Hageman, with Trump's backing, soundly defeated Cheney on Tuesday in Wyoming's GOP primary.

Rep. Liz Cheney, former President Donald Trump's most prominent Republican critic, said she's intent on keeping him out of the Oval Office and may consider a presidential run herself.

Just hours after her stinging defeat in her GOP primary in Wyoming, she said a 2024 campaign "is something I’m thinking about and I’ll make a decision in the coming months." Cheney broke the news on NBC's "Today." She did not mention party affiliation, and there has been speculation she could mount a campaign as an independent.

Analysts reacted with significant skepticism to the news, saying Cheney is unlikely to beat Trump or even be a viable independent candidate.

In the meantime, the three-term House lawmaker and vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee has her eyes on the 45th president: "I believe that Donald Trump continues to pose a very grave threat – a risk to our republic – and I think defeating him is going to require a broad and united front of Republicans, Democrats and independents and that's what I intend to be a part of," Cheney said on "Today."

Trump, who backed Cheney's opponent Harriet Hageman, has teased a reelection campaign but has not officially announced he's running in 2024. He faces legal inquiries on many fronts, including an investigation related to classified documents removed last week from his Florida estate.

Key takeaways:

Cheney has reorganized her campaign account, filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to create a leadership PAC called "The Great Task."

With Cheney's loss, Trump's work to defeat the 10 House Republicans who voted for his impeachment in January 2021 was rewarded. Here's how those 10 have fared so far.

In Alaska's primary, incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski advanced to the general election, along with challenger Kelly Tshibaka. In the House race, Sarah Palin moved to the November election, along with challengers Nick Begich III and Mary Peltola.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, another possible 2024 contender, suggested while in New Hampshire on Wednesday that he would consider testifying in front of the Jan. 6 committee, which is investigating Trump's involvement in the Capitol riot.

Cheney's timeline:How Liz Cheney went from Trump backer and GOP leader, to his fiercest critic and GOP outcast

Wyoming, Alaska primaries:Takeaways: Cheney loses to Hageman in Wyoming; Alaska's Murkowski and Palin advance to general

Who is Rep. Liz Cheney?

Here are some facts about Republican Rep. Liz Cheney:

She's the oldest child of former Vice President Dick Cheney and second lady Lynne Cheney.

She met husband Philip Perry at Colorado College. They have five children.

She used to work in the State Department and has a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.

She voted with Donald Trump 93% of the time while he was president, according to FiveThirtyEight.

She voted to impeach Trump in 2021 after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

– Katherine Swartz

Who is Rep. Liz Cheney?:What are her political positions? Is she running for president? What we know.

Would Cheney be a viable independent candidate?

Cheney has narrated the Jan. 6 hearings as its vice chair and narrated her failed House primary reelection campaign as a fight to save American democracy.

She said Tuesday night and Wednesday morning the fight is just beginning, and she is considering a presidential run to continue that work. Some voters and political analysts are wondering if Cheney would run as an independent, but the analysts agree it’s a rocky path and more arduous than even a doomed Republican primary bid would be.

“At the end of the day she’d probably get a very small slice of the vote, and I think she’d probably hurt the Democrats more than the Republicans given her current standing,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of the Crystal Ball, a political analysis newsletter at the University of Virginia.

Republican strategist Susan Del Percio said she doesn’t see a path for Cheney “or many others” as an independent in 2024.

Cheney wouldn’t have enough support among Republicans or Democrats to win nationwide, Del Percio said: “Democrats appreciate her standing up and respect that she did the right thing, but they’re not going to buy into her conservatism.”

Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said Cheney is unlikely to attract Democratic votes in his battleground state but could help the party.

“Liz Cheney voted 95% of the time with Republicans. A lot of Democrats respect what she’s done recently, but I don’t think they’d pick her in a head-to-head matchup with her, Biden and Trump,” he said.

But she could help Democrats win by pulling votes away from Trump, as Green Party candidate Jill Stein pulled votes away from Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump defeated Clinton that year by about 40,000 votes in Pennsylvania, the state that helped him clinch the White House. Stein received about 50,000 votes in that Pennsylvania presidential election.

– Candy Woodall

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Cheney would face tough path in presidential GOP primary

Even before she lost her Republican House primary Tuesday in Wyoming, political analysts forecasted the tough path Rep. Liz Cheney would face if she seeks the country’s highest office.

For months, the congresswoman has indicated she’s thinking about it. On Wednesday, she made that more of a reality by reorganizing her campaign finance account as a leadership PAC geared at preventing former President Donald Trump from reentering the Oval Office.

Opinion:What to do now with 'hot mess' that is the GOP?

But if she intends to keep him out by running against him in a Republican presidential primary – for which neither Cheney nor Trump have announced a bid – she faces an almost-certain loss, multiple analysts told USA TODAY.

“She could never, ever, ever, ever win a Republican primary,” said former Rep. Joe Walsh, who served in the House as a Republican from Illinois before Trumpism prompted him to leave the party. The base has become “radicalized” and “there’s no room for Liz Cheney in the party.”

Rick Wilson, co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, said he doesn’t see the traditional conservative Cheney changing the party enough to be able to win it. “I don’t believe the Republican Party can be revived as long as Trump has an iron grip on it.”

Cheney has “ticked off” the core base of the party too much to win a primary, according to Republican strategist Susan Del Percio. “She is following a playbook that is true and good for the public commission and horrible politically.”

– Candy Woodall

Cheney avoids talking party affiliation

Asked if she would rule out running as a third party candidate in 2024, Cheney told Politico, "I really am not at all focused on that kind of specifics."

Cheney said her attention is on finishing her term in Congress, informing people across the country what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, and "making sure people understand how dangerous it is to vote for, to support election deniers."

"Then I'll go look towards sort of what comes next after that," she said.

– Dylan Wells

Pence says he'd 'consider' testifying before the Jan. 6 committee if asked

As Cheney repositioned herself for a potential national campaign after her loss in Wyoming, rifts within the GOP over former President Donald Trump were on display when former Vice President Mike Pence made an appearance in New Hampshire on Wednesday.

Pence, who is himself a potential 2024 presidential contender, said he would consider testifying before the Jan. 6 committee if asked. While Pence added many caveats and emphasized he had some constitutional concerns about appearing before the congressional committee, his remark was the latest example of Pence distancing himself from Trump.

"If there was an invitation to participate, I would consider it," Pence said in remarks at a New Hampshire event that were broadcast on NBC. Pence was speaking at the "Politics & Eggs" breakfast, an event that describes itself as a "must-stop" on the presidential campaign trail. New Hampshire plays a crucial role in the selection of presidential nominees since it holds its primary election early, right after the Iowa caucus that kicks off the nominating process.

– Caren Bohan, Ella Lee

Pence testimony?:Former VP Mike Pence says he would 'consider' testifying before Jan. 6 committee if asked

Murkowski leads Alaska Senate challengers

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski will get to seek another term, after advancing to the November general election on Tuesday.

Murkowski’s challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, also advanced to November, where they both will be on a ranked-choice ballot in the fall after making it through the state's new nonpartisan primary system.

Murkowski's wide base of Republicans, Democrats and independents could help her hold onto the seat for a fourth term.

The senator is the only member of her chamber who voted to convict former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial who is facing voters this year. Others have retired or are up for reelection in 2024 or later.

– Candy Woodall

Palin, Begich, Peltola advance in Alaska race for U.S. House seat

Businessman Nick Begich III, former Gov. Sarah Palin and tribal activist Mary Peltola will advance to the November general election for Alaska’s sole congressional district.

The three candidates are also competing in a special election to fill the seat until the end of the term of the late Rep. Don Young, who died earlier this year. Results from that vote will not be made available for days, as mail-in ballots are counted.

Begich and Palin are Republicans; Peltola is a Democrat. The state’s nonpartisan primary system allows the top four vote recipients to move forward to the general election, regardless of their political party.

– Dylan Wells

Cheney reorganizes her campaign account

In another sign she may be running for president, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., filed a form Wednesday morning with the Federal Election Commission to revamp her campaign account.

The account, which had about $7 million in it at the end of July, is now a leadership PAC called “The Great Task.”

The Great Task was the name of the final ad in Cheney’s failed reelection campaign and a phrase from former President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which she referenced in her concession speech Tuesday night.

The change follows Cheney’s promise to do “whatever it takes” to fight against any reelection run from former President Donald Trump, who has his own leadership PAC called “Save America.” Trump used money in that fund to back Harriet Hageman, who defeated Cheney in the Wyoming primary.

– Candy Woodall

Cheney to launch new organization

Rep. Liz Cheney will start an organization in the next few weeks to mobilize a unified effort opposing any election bid from former President Donald Trump and educating the American people about the ongoing threat to democracy, her spokesman Jeremy Adler confirmed to USA TODAY on Wednesday morning.

The new organization was first reported by Politico Playbook.

Cheney’s new group doesn’t have a name yet and is being formed as she considers a 2024 presidential run.

– Candy Woodall

Cheney after defeat: 'Now the real work begins'

On Tuesday night, after conceding defeat to Hageman, Cheney told a crowd of supporters: “This primary election is over but now the real work begins.”

Cheney again denounced Trump for "lies" about the 2020 election, and indicated she would work against other Republican "election deniers" who are seeking offices across the country in this year's election.

At the time, Cheney did not allude to a presidential campaign of her own in 2024, nor did she discuss in detail her ongoing work on the Jan. 6 congressional committee investigation.

– David Jackson

Trump is on the defense as he prepares for expected 2024 ...

CNN —

Should Donald Trump announce his third presidential bid on Tuesday, as is widely expected, he will begin the next phase of his political career under siege.

Seven years ago, the New York businessman entered the political fray on defense, working vigorously to cast himself as a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination to the incredulity of veteran political operatives and his primary opponents. This time, Trump takes the plunge as the party’s indisputable frontrunner, but once again, he finds himself in a defensive crouch.

On the brink of a campaign launch that elicits both enthusiasm and dread from different corners of his own party, Trump’s quest to return to the Oval Office could face untold obstacles in the months to come, even with his loyal base firmly intact. He has spent the days since the midterm elections fending off criticism from fellow Republicans over his ill-fated involvement in key contests, furiously lashing out at two GOP heavyweights who could complicate his path to the White House if they mount their own presidential campaigns, and fretting that he or associates could soon be indicted by federal investigators in two separate Justice Department probes.

Aides say Trump is hoping his early entry into the 2024 presidential primary will reframe the conversation away from Republican failures and inject a fresh dose of enthusiasm into a demoralized party amid GOP failures to capture Senate control and win a sizable House majority. Though the former president has been touting his 200-plus victories on Election Night, many of the Trump-endorsed Republicans who prevailed last Tuesday ran uncontested or were widely expected to win their contests, while several Senate candidates he endorsed in highly prized races failed to dethrone their Democratic opponents or flip open seats into the GOP’s column.

Mehmet Oz, Adam Laxalt and Blake Masters, three Republican Senate candidates who earned Trump’s support in their primaries, respectively lost to Democratic opponents in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona. Meanwhile, Herschel Walker, a longtime Trump friend challenging Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, is headed to a December runoff after both failed to reach 50% support in Georgia.

On Saturday, CNN projected that Democrats will retain control of the Senate in the 118th Congress, an outcome that has fractured Republicans and left the party on tenterhooks as Trump readies his “big announcement.”

Next targets

Trump, who in the immediate aftermath of the midterms conceded that his party had suffered a “somewhat disappointing” outcome, has already moved on, settings his sights on winning a second term in Washington and attacking two GOP governors who could challenge his status as the party’s anchor in the months to come, Ron DeSantis of Florida and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia.

“I Endorsed him, did a very big Trump Rally for him telephonically, got MAGA to Vote for him – or he couldn’t have come close to winning,” Trump said of Youngkin in a Truth Social post last week.

Three sources familiar with the matter said the former president believed Youngkin was supportive of comments his lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, made during a Fox Business appearance last week. She told the network she would not support Trump if he runs for president a third time.

Responding to repeated questions about Trump’s impending 2024 announcement, Earle-Sears said, “A true leader understands when they have become a liability. A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage, and the voters have given us that very clear message.”

Sears later declined to tell The Washington Post whether Youngkin knew prior to the interview that she planned to split from Trump, a detail that caught the former president’s attention, according to one of his aides.

“If Glenn Youngkin decides to run for president, that’s his choice. But Team Trump will certainly mount a massive effort to win the Virginia delegates going to Milwaukee that is going to embarrass Youngkin,” said John Fredericks, a Virginia-based conservative radio host who chaired Trump’s campaigns in the state in 2016 and 2020.

The former president’s criticism of Youngkin, whose 2021 gubernatorial bid he endorsed against former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe, came on the heels of a spate of insults Trump launched against DeSantis, the popular Florida governor who has refused to rule out a 2024 campaign against the former president and increasingly appears to be laying the groundwork for one. In the span of one week, Trump went from introducing a disparaging new nickname for the Florida governor (“DeSanctimonious”) to heeding requests from Republicans to pare back his criticism of DeSantis in the home stretch before Election Day, to blasting out a scathing statement on the heels of DeSantis’ reelection, calling him “an average Republican governor.”

DeSantis allies said they do not expect the Florida governor to engage at all with Trump’s bashing for as long as he can avoid it. In two press conferences related to Hurricane Nicole that DeSantis held after winning reelection by a 19-point margin, he did not mention the overall midterm results or take any questions. Notably, he has also avoided taking a victory lap on Fox News, which would undoubtedly inquire about Trump and 2024, after appearing frequently on the network while campaigning for reelection.

“Trump rants for a couple of months. DeSantis throws some red meat during [Florida’s next legislative session] and then we have a primary around May,” said one DeSantis ally, describing his current posture

Asked how long the governor can go without acknowledging Trump’s attacks, a second DeSantis ally responded simply, “A long time.”

Trump’s bitter criticism of Youngkin and DeSantis, two rising Republican celebrities, was a stark reminder of the scathing brand of politics he brings to the campaign trail, without regard for how it might impact his own party. His first use of “DeSanctimonious” came just days before the Florida governor appeared on the ballot in his bid for reelection. And much to the chagrin of top Republicans, including some of Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill, his Tuesday announcement comes as the party looks to prevent Senate Democrats from securing a 51-seat majority through the Georgia runoff.

“I know there’s a lot of criticism and people saying, ‘Just focus on Georgia,’ but he figures there’s no point in waiting. If Herschel loses, he’ll be blamed for distracting from the runoff but if he wins, he doesn’t believe he will get any credit for energizing the base,” said a current Trump adviser.

Some of Trump’s closest allies said Republicans should brace for a significant escalation in his attacks on rumored GOP challengers once he is a declared presidential contender, meaning he could ramp up his criticism of DeSantis, Youngkin or others while the party is fighting for Walker’s survival in Georgia.

“Nobody should be surprised. This is how Trump does primaries,” said Michael Caputo, a former Trump administration official who remains close to the former president. “The question you have to ask is whether this format can work for him again.”

Of course, Trump has not been in a hotly contested primary since 2016, when he unleashed broadsides against more than a dozen-plus opponents with fury and vitriol that shocked some Republican observers but delighted a segment of the Republican primary electorate that would later evolve into his loyal base. Few Trump allies expect him to behave any differently in the months to come. Even if he remains the only declared candidate until others enter the fray next year, he will continue his preemptive blitz against perceived challengers.

“Donald Trump will make sure every Republican candidate is well-vetted,” said a senior Trump aide.

“No one’s going to get a free pass. It’s going to be brutal,” added the Trump adviser.

Other obstacles

The likelihood that Trump will face primary challengers may be the least of his concerns at this juncture.

While the former president maintains significant support from grassroots Republicans, some of the party’s largest donors have been meeting with other potential presidential hopefuls and signaling they may be interested in bankrolling alternative candidates. It’s a concern Trump allies are confronting head on as they privately explore ways to make the monstrous pile of cash he has raised since leaving office available to him as a presidential candidate. Billionaire Ken Griffin, who gave nearly $60 million to federal Republican candidates and campaigns in the 2022 cycle, told Politico in an interview last week that he would support DeSantis if the Florida governor tosses his hat into the ring for the 2024 GOP nod. Two other Republican donors who gave to Trump in 2016 and 2020 and requested anonymity for fear of retribution told CNN that they, too, were waiting to see what DeSantis decides to do, while one of them said they would also be willing to support former Vice President Mike Pence should he challenge his former boss.

“One of our biggest challenges will be the fundraising component but I do think [Trump] has proved that he doesn’t need deep-pocketed donors, per se,” said a person close to Trump, noting the enduring strength of his small-dollar operation.

Trump will also have to convince Republicans that he would be an asset at the top of the ballot in 2024 as opposed to an albatross for vulnerable candidates in tight races. That task comes amid a fraught intraparty debate over the GOP’s bruising midterm outcome, with some Republicans claiming Trump’s involvement – including an eleventh-hour 2024 campaign tease at a rally on the eve of Election Day – did more to hurt the party than help. Others have blamed party leaders for failing to articulate clear policy priorities, pointed to the party’s money gap against Democrats in key races, or lamented the bickering that unfolded all cycle between two of the party’s biggest campaign committees led by Florida Sen. Rick Scott and allies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Some Trump allies said the donor challenges, midterm outcome and questions about his stature has left a dearth of seasoned campaign operatives willing to join his next campaign. Though the president has told allies he wants to keep his operation lean, much like his 2016 presidential campaign, some have privately questioned whether it’s out of preference or due to recruitment troubles. CNN has previously reported that Trump’s likely campaign is expected to be helmed by three current advisers – Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita and Brian Jack – with assistance from a group of additional aides and advisers with whom the former president is already familiar. Overall, his 2024 apparatus is expected to dwarf in comparison to his reelection campaign two years ago, multiple sources said.

Either way, as Trump works to find his footing on the verge of a presidential campaign that could coast to the party’s nominating convention or encounter any number of unforeseen troubles, allies who have stuck by his side said they are ready for battle one last time.

“Our team is accustomed to fighting tooth and nail. Team Trump is going to fight for the nomination,” said Fredericks.

Donald Trump announces a White House bid for 2024 | CNN Politics

CNN —

Former President Donald Trump, aiming to become only the second commander-in-chief ever elected to two nonconsecutive terms, announced Tuesday night that he will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump told a crowd gathered at Mar-a-Lago, his waterfront estate in Florida, where his campaign will be headquartered.

Surrounded by allies, advisers, and conservative influencers, Trump delivered a relatively subdued speech, rife with spurious and exaggerated claims about his four years in office. Despite a historically divisive presidency and his own role in inciting an attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump aimed to evoke nostalgia for his time in office, frequently contrasting his first-term accomplishments with the Biden administration’s policies and the current economic climate. Many of those perceived accomplishments – from strict immigration actions to corporate tax cuts and religious freedom initiatives – remain deeply polarizing to this day.

As Trump spoke to a roomful of Republicans who expect him to face primary challengers in the coming months, he also claimed the party cannot afford to nominate “a politician or conventional candidate” if it wants to win back the White House.

“This will not be my campaign, this will be our campaign all together,” Trump said.

Trump’s long-awaited campaign comes as he tries to reclaim the spotlight following the GOP’s underwhelming midterm elections performance – including the losses of several Trump-endorsed election deniers – and the subsequent blame game that has unfolded since Election Day. Republicans failed to gain a Senate majority, came up short in their efforts to fill several statewide seats, and have yet to secure a House majority, with only 215 races called in their favor so far out of the 218 needed, developments that have forced Trump and other party leaders into a defensive posture as they face reproval from within their ranks.

Trump’s paperwork establishing his candidacy landed with the Federal Election Committee shortly before he delivered his announcement at Mar-a-Lago.

To the delight of aides and allies who have long advised him to mount a forward-looking campaign, he spent only a fraction of his remarks repeating his lies about the 2020 election. Though he advocated for the use of paper ballots and likened America’s election system to that of “third world countries,” Trump also tried at times to broaden his grievances – lamenting the “massive corruption” and “entrenched interests” that in his view have consumed Washington. Many of Trump’s top advisers have expressed concern that his fixation on promoting conspiracies about the last presidential election would make it harder for him to win a national election in 2024.

Throughout the hour-long speech, Trump made clear that he wants his campaign to be seen by Republicans as a sacrificial undertaking.

“Anyone who truly seeks to take on this rigged and corrupt system will be faced with a storm of fire that only a few could understand,” he said at one point, describing the legal and emotional toll his presidency and post-presidential period has taken on his family members.

On the heels of last week’s midterm elections, Trump has been blamed for elevating flawed candidates who spent too much time parroting his claims about election fraud, alienating key voters and ultimately leading to their defeats. He attempted to counter that criticism on Tuesday, noting that Republicans appear poised to retake the House majority and touting at least one Trump-endorsed candidate, Kevin Kiley of California. At one point, Trump appeared to blame his party’s midterm performance on voters not yet realizing “the total effect of the suffering” after two years of Democratic control in Washington.

“I have no doubt that by 2024, it will sadly be much worse and they will see clearly what has happened and is happening to our country – and the voting will be much different,” he claimed.

Beating others to the punch

Trump is betting that his first-out-of-the gate strategy will fend off potential primary rivals and give him an early advantage with deep-pocketed donors, aides say. He is widely expected to be challenged by both conservative and moderate Republicans, though the calculus of some presidential hopefuls could change now that he is running. Others – like his former Vice President, Mike Pence – may proceed anyway.

Trump’s third presidential bid also coincides with a period of heightened legal peril as Justice Department officials investigating him and his associates revisit the prospect of indictments in their Trump-related probes. The former president is currently being investigated for his activities before and during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left office. While Trump is counting on an easy path to the GOP nomination with his sustained support among the party’s base, his announcement is likely to dash the hopes of party leaders who have longed for fresh talent. In particular, top Republicans have been paying close attention to the next moves of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won his reelection contest with a 19-point margin of victory and considerable support from minority and independent voters. Some Republican leaders may try to scuttle Trump’s campaign by elevating or encouraging alternative candidates, including DeSantis, who has been quietly laying the groundwork for a possible White House bid of his own.

Of course, any countereffort to inhibit Trump’s path to the nomination is likely to prove difficult. Despite his myriad legal entanglements and the stain of January 6, the twice-impeached 45th president remains immensely popular among most Republican voters and boasts a deep connection with his core backers that could prove difficult for other GOP hopefuls to replicate or weaken. Even leading conservatives who disliked Trump’s pugnacious politics and heterodox policies stuck with him as president because he helped solidify the rightward shift of the US Supreme Court with his nominations – one of the most far-reaching aspects of his legacy, which resulted in the conservative court majority’s deeply polarizing June decision to end federal abortion rights. In fact, while Trump ended his first term with the lowest approval rating of any president, Republicans viewed him favorably, according to a May NBC News poll. That alone could give Trump a significant edge over primary opponents whom voters are still familiarizing themselves with.

Among those potential competitors is Pence, who would likely benefit from high name recognition due to his role as vice president. Pence, who has been preparing for a possible White House run in 2024, is sure to face an uphill battle courting Trump’s most loyal supporters, many of whom soured on the former vice president after he declined to overstep his congressional authority and block certification of now-President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. Trump could also find himself pitted against DeSantis, who has risen to hero status among cultural conservatives and who is widely considered a more polished version of Trump. Even some of the former president’s advisers have voiced similar observations to CNN, noting that DeSantis also made inroads with major Republican donors during his quest for reelection and built a mountain of goodwill with GOP leaders by campaigning for federal and statewide Republican candidates in the middle of his own race.

Beyond his potential rivals, Trump has another roadblock in his path as the House select committee continues to investigate his role in January 6, 2021, and Justice Department officials weigh whether to issue criminal charges. The committee, which subpoenaed him for testimony and documents in October and which Trump is now battling in court, held public hearings throughout the summer and early fall featuring depositions from those in Trump’s inner circle at the White House – including members of his family – that detailed his public and private efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results through a sustained pressure campaign on numerous local, state and federal officials, and on his own vice president.

But Trump’s desire to announce his campaign early can be especially traced to the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, which advisers say further emboldened his decision to mount what he believes will be a triumphant political comeback. The day after the search, the former president fielded calls from allies advising him to accelerate his 2024 timeline. That night, he huddled with House lawmakers in the Republican Study Committee and told them he’d “made up his mind” about launching a bid, though some of those same House Republicans later convinced him to wait until after the midterm elections to announce his next move.

Few of those lawmakers were present for Trump’s speech on Tuesday, choosing to remain in Washington as House Republicans conducted their leadership elections and the party continues to grapple with its failures in highly prized midterm races. Rather, the room was filled with prominent election deniers like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, several of Trump’s attorneys, and past and present aides. Before he entered the room on Tuesday alongside former first lady Melania Trump, several members of the ex-president’s family were also seen filtering into the ballroom, including Eric and Lara Trump, his son Barron, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is engaged to Donald Trump Jr. His eldest son was notably missing, along with daughter Ivanka, , who has since said she will no longer be involved in the political arena. A source close to Donald Trump Jr. said he was stuck on a hunting trip in the mountain west and unable to catch a flight back to Florida in time for his father’s announcement. Other guests included longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone; outgoing North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn; former congressman and the current CEO of Trump’s Truth Social app Devin Nunes; and his chief political adviser Susie Wiles.

Preparing for 2024

From the moment Trump left Washington, defeated and disgraced, in January 2021, he began plotting a return to power – devoting the bulk of his time to building a political operation intended for this moment. With assistance from numerous former aides and advisers, he continued the aggressive fundraising tactics that had become a marker of his 2020 campaign, amassing a colossal war chest ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, and worked diligently to elect steadfast allies in both Congress and state legislatures across the country.

While maintaining a home base in Florida, he also regularly jet-setted across the country for campaign rallies that afforded him crucial face time with his base and with candidates he bet would become valuable allies in the US Senate and House.

Through it all, Trump continued to falsely insist that the 2020 election was stolen from him, indulging in far-flung conspiracy theories about voter fraud and pressuring Republican leaders across the party’s election apparatus to endorse changes that would curtail voting rights.

Trump’s aides were pleased earlier this fall when his public appearances and rally speeches gradually became more focused on rising crime, immigration and economic woes – key themes throughout the midterm cycle and issues they hope will enable him to draw a compelling contrast with Biden as he begins this next chapter. Allies of the former president have long said that he views the 2024 contest as an opportunity to regain what he believes is his: another four years in the Oval Office.

But there is no guarantee that Trump will glide easily to a nonconsecutive second term. In fact, it could be quite difficult.

Not only does history offer just one example of such a feat (defeated in 1888 after his first term, President Grover Cleveland was elected again in 1892), no previously impeached president has ever run again for office. Trump was first impeached in 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice, and then again in 2021 for inciting the riot at the US Capitol. Though he was acquitted by the Senate both times, 10 House Republicans broke with their party the second time around to join Democrats in a vote to impeach him. Seven Republican senators voted to convict him at his Senate trial.

Trump has also been the subject of a bevy of lawsuits and investigations, including a New York state investigation and a separate Manhattan district attorney criminal probe into his company’s finances, a Georgia county probe into his efforts to overturn Biden’s election win in the state, and separate Justice Department probes into his campaign’s scheme to put forth fake electors in battleground states and his decision to bring classified materials with him to Mar-a-Lago upon leaving office.

Trump’s actions since he left Washington have, for the most part, signaled his interest in an eventual return. While most former presidents go quietly into retirement – resurfacing to assist their parties during midterm cycles or for the opening of their presidential libraries – Trump bucked tradition to instead plot the comeback he now hopes to make. Despite its distance from Washington, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club has transformed into a new hub for Republicans and a home base for his political machine. Assisted by a small group of paid staffers, he has hosted numerous candidate and committee fundraisers and seen a rotating cast of party leaders and congressional hopefuls filter through its gilded hallways in the hopes of nabbing his endorsement or reingratiating themselves with his base. Trump’s schedule has enabled him to build close relationships with party leaders and fringe figures – from House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia – whose support in a contested primary could ultimately help him clear the field. Many of the aides who have been with him since he left the White House are expected to continue on as campaign hands, as the former president and his de facto chief of staff, longtime Florida GOP strategist Wiles, aim to maintain a lean operation much like the early days of his 2016 presidential campaign. Among those who are likely to be involved are Wiles, Taylor Budowich, Chris LaCivita, Steven Cheung, Justin Caporale and Brian Jack. Brad Parscale, who managed part of Trump’s failed 2020 campaign will not be part of his 2024 operation, nor will Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was deeply involved in his quest for reelection.

Time in office

As president, Trump faced criticism over several of his actions, especially his management of the worst public health crisis in nearly a century – the Covid-19 pandemic – though his administration helped facilitate the development of vaccines to treat the novel coronavirus in record time. He also was blasted by critics over his handling of Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017; the White nationalist rally, also in 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Heather Heyer was killed while walking with a group of counterprotesters; and Black Lives Matter protests.

While in office, Trump signed sweeping tax cuts into law, enacted controversial hard-line immigration policies, including a policy that separated migrant children from their families and one known as “Remain in Mexico,” which the US Supreme Court ruled in June could be ended by his successor, and appointed hundreds of federal judges with deep conservative credentials. He also successfully nominated three Supreme Court justices, whose decisions this year as part of the court’s majority have shifted American society and laws rightward on issues such as abortion, guns, religious freedom and climate change.

The former real estate businessman and reality TV star was first elected to office in 2016, beating out a wide field of more than a dozen GOP candidates in an ugly primary, and then prevailing over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a contentious general election, despite sexual misconduct allegations that would have typically been campaign-ending.

As president, Trump was an impulsive leader, who dispensed with long-standing norms, often announcing policy and Cabinet personnel changes on Twitter. (He was ultimately banned from the platform following the US Capitol riot and was later barred from Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube as well.)

He pushed an “America First” foreign policy approach, pulling the US out of international agreements such as the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal, a pair of controversial moves that were decried by many of America’s top European allies.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mistakenly said who was likely to be involved in the Trump campaign. Brad Parscale will not be involved in the 2024 operation. It has also been updated to correctly characterize former President Donald Trump’s position on paper ballots, fix the spelling of Justin Caporale and reflect additional developments.

Gaborr Kristen Holmes Veronica Stracqualursi

Nikki Haley to announce presidential run on Feb. 15, taking on Trump

WASHINGTON – Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will formally launch her 2024 presidential run on Feb. 15, becoming the first Republican to jump into the field to challenge Donald Trump, according to multiple sources familiar with her plans.

Haley has teased her presidential run for weeks, including a tweeted video this week in which she said: "It's time for a new generation to lead."

Aides are putting together a Feb. 15 announcement event in Charleston, South Carolina, according to three sources familiar with her plans who spoke to USA TODAY on condition of anonymity.

Teasing her announcement on Twitter, Haley said: "My family and I have a big announcement to share with you on February 15th! And yes, it’s definitely going to be a Great Day in South Carolina!"

Who is Nikki Haley?

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley has described herself as the embodiment of the American Dream: college graduate, businesswoman and political leader who won long-shot races to the South Carolina Legislature and the governor's mansion.

If Haley prevails in the primaries, she would be the Republican Party's first female and first South Asian presidential nominee. She would also be the first woman of color to win the presidential nomination for a major party.

Live politics updates:Nikki Haley to take on Trump in 2024; FBI searches Biden beach house

In recent months, Haley has cast herself as a new kind of Republican who can take new approaches to the nation's challenges and to President Joe Biden and the Democrats.

"I think it's time that we bring in a new generation that can bring in more people to our party," Haley told Fox News in a recent interview.

What is her political background?

In one of her most publicized moments as governor, Haley signed a 2015 bill that removed the Confederate battle flag from the top of state Capitol following the murders of nine people at a historic Black church in Charleston.

During Haley's second term in the statehouse, the newly elected President Trump picked her as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Since leaving her U.N. post, Haley has written books, given speeches, and created a political action committee known as "Stand for America."

What has Haley said about Donald Trump?

Since Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential race, Haley has sent mixed signals about her presidential ambitions. In April 2021, she told reporters that “I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it."

In recent months, even after Trump announced his 2024 bid in mid-November, Haley has sounded out potential donors and staff members for a White House campaign of her own.

Haley criticized Trump's leadership right after the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, but has softened her tone in the two years since.

"If I run, I'm running against Joe Biden," Haley told Fox. "That's what I'm focused on."

What has Trump said about Haley?

While campaigning Saturday in New Hampshire and South Carolina, Trump told reporters that Haley had called him about her prospective campaign. Trump said he had no problem with the idea, but noted that Haley once said she would not run if he did.

On his Truth Social account Wednesday, Trump posted video of Haley's past claim she would not run against him and headlined it with a barbed comment: "Nikki has to follow her heart, not her honor. She should definitely run!"

Trump allies are already sharpening their knives. Steve Cortes, a commentator who has been a television surrogate for Trump, tweeted that the "political weather vane" is not to be trusted: "Haley gushes over Trump, then betrays him, then gushes again, and then … betrays again. She’s the worst kind of political snake."

Haley hints: 'May the best woman win': Former S.C. Governor Nikki Haley hints at 2024 presidential bid:

Will DeSantis and Pence also enter the GOP field?

Haley is the first Republican to step up and challenge Trump but probably will not be the last. Other Republicans considering a 2024 presidential bid include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump remains a formidable candidate, analysts said, despite his loss to Biden in the 2020 presidential race and losses by several pro-Trump candidates in the 2022 congressional races.

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Trump also faces a slew of legal troubles, including investigations into the handling of classified documents and his conduct before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Still, the former president has money, name identification, and a strong base of supporters, analysts said, while Haley is untested on the national campaign stage.

Haley as vice president?

Sarah Longwell, a political analyst who has conducted focus groups on Republican candidates, said Haley's chances are "not great," but she is an intriguing candidate and could also be a potential running mate.

"Old school GOP will like her, and donors," said Longwell, founder of an organization called the Republican Accountability Project. "But she might actually be running for VP."

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As GOP starting gate for 2024 presidential race, Iowa sees surge of ...

Brianne Pfannenstiel

Des Moines Register

Former Vice President Mike Pence is returning to Iowa this week, kicking off a surge of presidential caucus activity after a quiet start to the year.

Iowa Republicans are set to hold their traditional first-in-the-nation caucuses in early 2024, which act as the starting line for the rest of the presidential primary cycle. A bevy of candidates are expected to compete, and they've been making inroads with the state's Republican elected officials and activists for months, if not years, as they weigh their plans.

Now, with former President Donald Trump formally in the race and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley officially launching her campaign Tuesday, activity in the Hawkeye State is starting to ramp up.

Here's a look at who's in Iowa this month.

Democrats demote Iowa:Democrats approve 2024 primary calendar that demotes Iowa, boosts South Carolina

More:Try the Des Moines Register Candidate Tracker

Kari Lake talks "election integrity" in Bettendorf, Ankeny

Arizona Republican Kari Lake, who is challenging her gubernatorial election loss in the courts, was in Bettendorf and Ankeny last week calling on Iowa caucusgoers to make "election integrity" a key issue in the 2024 presidential race.

Lake, who grew up in Iowa, ostensibly was in the state visiting family and decided to hold the two political rallies while she was here. She told the Des Moines Register she's not in the state to campaign for office herself — she remains a big supporter of Trump — but saw an opportunity to elevate an issue she cares about.

Iowans can expect to see more of her this year, she said.

More:Judge tosses Kari Lake's election-challenge in Arizona governor's race

Mike Pence to hold parents rights' rally in Cedar Rapids

Former Vice President Mike Pence will be in Cedar Rapids Wednesday to rally conservatives around a "parents' rights" agenda targeting transgender-affirming public school policies, like one that drew controversy in the nearby Linn-Mar Community School District last year.

Parents are suing that district over policies that support students who identify as transgender without notifying their parents.

Pence's organization Advancing American Freedom will spend $1 million on promotional strategies such as digital ads, rallies, canvassing and possibly radio and television spots, the Associated Press reports, marking an increased outreach to the state.

More:Exclusive: Mike Pence predicts 'better choices,' not Trump, as the GOP's 2024 nominee

Nikki Haley to make first swing as declared candidate

According to a source familiar with her planning, Haley will make a formal presidential announcement Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina, before making a stop in New Hampshire and arriving in Iowa for events beginning Feb. 20 — Presidents Day.

She has two public events on the calendar: a town hall at Royal Flooring in Urbandale and another at Legacy Manufacturing in Marion.

The trip will make her the first declared 2024 presidential candidate to appear in Iowa. Trump, who announced his campaign shortly after the midterms, has yet to travel to the state.

More:Nikki Haley will travel to Iowa after declaring she's running for president

Tim Scott launches "Faith in America" tour

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott will travel to Iowa Feb. 22, his visit set to bump up against Haley's, a fellow South Carolinian. Scott is speaking at the Polk County Republican Party's annual Lincoln Dinner in West Des Moines. According to a release, he'll deliver remarks on the importance of faith in America.

Scott is making his first public appearance in Iowa since he attended a fundraiser for the Republican Party of Iowa just before the midterms. He has yet to say whether he will run for president, though Republicans say he has begun reaching out to potential staffers on the ground in Iowa.

Vivek Ramaswamy will talk 'woke' corporate ideology

More:Butler County native, 'Woke, Inc.' author Vivek Ramaswamy mulls 2024 presidential run

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy drew conservative fanfare after publishing the book "Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam," which criticizes political correctness and identity politics in corporate America. He has previously traveled to Iowa to meet with Republican leaders and activists as he explores running for president.

He's set to return to Iowa next week, holding at least two public events Feb. 23 — one with the Scott County Republican Women in Bettendorf and another with the Polk County Republican Party in Urbandale.

More:'Woke, Inc.' author Vivek Ramaswamy mulls 2024 presidential run

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

Feinstein won't run; Haley announcement: recap

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the longest serving woman senator, has announced she won't seek reelection in 2024, opening up a competitive and expensive seat in deep blue California.

The former San Francisco mayor who turns 90 in June has served since 1992. Her decision not to seek reelection Tuesday comes amid questions from colleagues about her ability to serve and as a younger generation – including Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff — have already announced their candidacies for the seat.

“Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. Each of us was sent here to solve problems. That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years," she said in her announcement. "My thanks to the people of California for allowing me to serve them.”

Senators are slated to receive a classified briefing Tuesday on the three unidentified flying objects shot down by the U.S. military in recent days.

Also, Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley launched the presidential bid she has teased for weeks, tweeting out a video Tuesday saying that, yes, she is indeed running for president.

Here's what else is happening in politics:

President Joe Biden renewed his call to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines after a shooting Monday on the campus of at Michigan State University killed three and injured five others.

and high-capacity magazines after a shooting Monday on the campus of at Michigan State University killed three and injured five others. Flying objects could be research, commercial activity: The U.S. intelligence community is considering as a “leading explanation” that three unidentified flying objects shot down from North American airspace were balloons used by research or commercial entities, White House spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.

The U.S. intelligence community is considering as a “leading explanation” that three unidentified flying objects shot down from North American airspace were balloons used by research or commercial entities, White House spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday. Mike Pence to challenge subpoena: The former vice president is planning to challenge a subpoena from a Justice Department special counsel investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

The former vice president is planning to challenge a subpoena from a Justice Department special counsel investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday. Parkland shooting: Tuesday marks five years since a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people. On the eve of the anniversary, a gunman opened fire at Michigan State University, killing three people and wounding five more, before fatally shooting himself.

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What we know:Questions mount after flying objects shot down

Sen. Casey undergoes prostate cancer surgery

Sen. Bob CaseyD-Penn., underwent successful prostate cancer surgery Tuesday afternoon, a little over a month since he first revealed the diagnosis.

“His doctor reports that, as expected, the procedure went well and he confirmed that the senator should not require further treatment,” Mairéad Lynn, Casey’s spokesperson said in a statement.

Casey, serving his third term, is up for re-election in 2024.

– Ledyard King

Feinstein will not run again in 2024

Democrat Dianne Feinstein, California’s longest serving senator, is forgoing reelection.

“I announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024, but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends,” Feinstein said in a statement Tuesday.

The decision shakes up the 2024 Senate map as multiple Democrats — including Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff — have either announced or are reportedly considering their bids to succeed the longtime senator, who had been dogged by questions about her ability to serve.

– Phillip M. Bailey

Biden renews calls to ban assault weapons after Michigan State shooting

President Joe Biden renewed his call to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines after a shooting Monday on the campus of at Michigan State University killed three and injured five others.

“I’m going to say something that’s always controversial,” Biden said Tuesday in remarks addressing the National Association of Counties in Washington. "There is no rationale for assault weapons and magazines that hold 50, 70 bullets.”

Biden’s push to reenact a ban on assault weapons, which expired in 2004, is unlikely to pass a Republican-led House and even faces an uphill climb in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

- Joey Garrison

More:'Americans deserve to be safe': House passes gun ban that has little chance in Senate

Court to reconsider case on Conn. school policy allowing trans athletes to participate in sports

A federal appeals court agreed to reconsider a lawsuit that challenged a Connecticut policy that allowed transgender student athletes to compete in high school sports on late Monday.

In December, a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision that backed the policy, but the case, Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools, will now be presented before the full court.

“We’re pleased the 2nd Circuit has decided to rehear this important case, and we urge the court to protect women’s athletic opportunities,” said Christiana Kiefer, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group representing the plaintiffs and who are also at the forefront of nationwide efforts to ban transgender athletes from high school sports, in a statement.

John Holt, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, who have implemented the policy, declined to comment

- Ken Tran

Trump ordered to pay $110K for contempt in fraud probe: NY appellate court

A New York appellate court on Tuesday upheld a contempt order against former President Donald Trump for failing to provide documents as part of a fraud investigation into the family’s business dealings.

The contempt order, handed down in April, directs Trump to pay a fine of $110,000 to the state’s attorney general’s office. New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that the court’s ruling affirmed that Trump is “not above the law.”

“For years, he tried to stall and thwart our lawful investigation into his financial dealings, but today’s decision sends a clear message that there are consequences for abusing the legal system,” James said. “We will not be bullied or dissuaded from pursuing justice.”

The New York civil fraud probe revolves around whether the Trump Organization deliberately misstated the valuations of its real estate holdings in official documents for unlawful gain. A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

- Ella Lee

Trump penalty:Donald Trump ordered to pay $110,000 for contempt in New York AG civil fraud investigation

Biden: MSU shooting one more argument for 'commonsense' gun legislation

President Joe Biden expressed grief over the shooting at Michigan State University Monday evening, saying the tragedy was further motivation for Congress to pass limits on guns.

In a statement the White House released Tuesday, Biden called for measures requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, closing background check loopholes, requiring safe storage of guns, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers "who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets."

The statement also acknowledged that Tuesday marks the five-year anniversary of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida which killed seventeen people and injured seventeen others. “As I said in my State of the Union address last week, Congress must do something and enact commonsense gun law reforms” it reads.

There have been over sixty mass shootings in 2023, totaling out to more than one mass shooting per day.-

- Anna Kaufman

Biden milestone: 100 federal judges confirmed by Senate

President Joe Biden hit a milestone Tuesday that could have implications for the remainder of his term: The Senate confirmed his 100th federal judge.

Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, received praise from the right for quickly moving nominees – reshaping some federal courts in a more conservative direction. But Biden narrowly surpassed Trump's total by the end of his second year, 96 confirmations compared to Trump's 83.

The Senate voted 54-45 Tuesday to confirm Gina Méndez-Miró to be a district court judge in Puerto Rico.

"President Biden has one of the most important judicial legacies of any modern president,” said Christopher Kang, chief counsel at the progressive group Demand Justice. “He has begun to restore balance to the courts with 100 judges already confirmed, and while doing so he has written a whole new playbook for what types of lawyers Democrats consider when selecting federal judges.”

– John Fritze

'Sleazy but not criminal':Some George Santos fabrications likely protected by the First Amendment

Trump-allied super PAC: Nikki Haley ‘just another career politician’

A spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC aligned with former President Donald Trump, called 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley “just another career politician” in a statement following Haley’s candidacy announcement.

“She started out as a Never Trumper before resigning to serve in the Trump admin. She then resigned early to go rake in money on corporate boards. Now, she’s telling us she represents a 'new generation,'” Taylor Budowich, head of MAGA Inc., said in a statement. “Sure just looks like more of the same, a career politician whose only fulfilled commitment is to herself."

MAGA Inc. was created in September and started 2023 with more than $54 million to spend, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Super PACs can raise unlimited money and spend it freely but are barred from coordinating directly with campaigns.

Haley is the only big name Republican to announce a bid to run against the former president in 2024 so far.

– Ella Lee, Associated Press

Who is Nikki Haley?:Former S.C. GOP governor announces run for president in 2024

Nikole Hannah-Jones: 1619 Project a ‘political prop’ in Nikki Haley presidential candidacy announcement

Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the 1619 Project, criticized 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley for using the project as a “political prop” in the video Haley shared Tuesday to announce her candidacy.

“Uses #1619Project as political prop in a video that opens with growing up where railroad tracks (not white people) divided the town by race. Talking about being the child of immigrants without acknowledging that the rights she had in SC were won by Black resistance,” Hannah-Jones wrote in a tweet. “Just peak.”

The 1619 Project, produced by The New York Times, examines America’s history through the lens of slavery beginning in 1619, which is when the African slave trade began.

– Ella Lee

Haley running for president:Nikki Haley announces 2024 presidential bid in first major GOP challenge to Donald Trump

White House: Unidentified flying objects could turn out to be harmless research, commercial balloons

The U.S. intelligence community is considering as a “leading explanation” that three unidentified flying objects shot down from North American airspace were balloons used by research or commercial entities, White House spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.

“Given what we've been able to ascertain thus far, the intelligence community is considering as a leading explanation that these could just be balloons tied to some commercial or benign purpose,” Kirby said.

Kirby said the U.S. hasn’t seen any indication that points directly to the objects being part of China’s spy balloon program, even though they were shot down about a week after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon in the Atlantic Ocean. He said the Pentagon has ruled out the possibility that the objects were from the U.S. government.

Complicating the search for more details, the U.S. has not yet retrieved debris from the objects shot down over Alaska, the Yukon Territory and Lake Huron because each is in remote areas with difficult conditions and two are in bodies of water.

– Joey Garrison

How many spy balloons have been spotted?:Questions mount after flying objects shot down

George Santos doubles down: ‘I’m not leaving’

Embattled freshman Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., made clear on Tuesday he won’t heed calls to resign from his House seat amid a flurry of scandals.

“Let me be very clear, I’m not leaving, I’m not hiding and I am NOT backing down,” he said in a tweet Tuesday. “I will continue to work for #NY03 and no amount of Twitter trolling will stop me.”

Calls for Santos to step down have come from all sides, from Democrats to his GOP colleagues to his own constituents.

– Ella Lee

Santos cosponsoring bills. Which ones?:Gun rights, TikTok ban and China: George Santos is cosponsoring these bills in Congress

Michigan lawmakers mourn, call for action after Michigan State University shooting

Michigan lawmakers took to social media Tuesday to mourn and make calls for action after a mass shooting at Michigan State University that left three students dead and five critically injured.

“It’s hard to describe the agony we’re feeling in East Lansing tonight,” said Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who represents the congressional district that contains the university.

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib called for the implementation of universal background checks, red flag laws and an assault weapon ban in the state and nationwide, while Republican Rep. Lisa McClain offered prayers for the MSU community that experienced “an act of senseless and horrific violence.”

And Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow thanked first responders who “rushed to the scene” and “put their own lives on the line to keep people safe.”

– Ella Lee

Shooting at Michigan State:Three dead, five wounded in shooting at Michigan State University, suspect found dead

Former VP Mike Pence expected to challenge DOJ special counsel subpoena

Former Vice President Mike Pence is planning to challenge a subpoena from a Justice Department special counsel investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

Pence's legal team is expected to argue that the former vice president's dual role as president of the Senate and member of the legislative branch at the time would protect him from the special counsel summons.

The Pence subpoena marks the most aggressive known step taken by special counsel Jack Smith since his appointment in November to oversee both the election interference inquiry and a separate examination of former President Trump's handling of classified documents.

- David Jackson, Kevin Johnson

Read the full story:Former Vice President Mike Pence expected to challenge DOJ special counsel subpoena

Adam Frisch, Colorado Dem who almost unseated Rep. Lauren Boebert, to run again

Colorado Democrat Adam Frisch, who was just a few hundred votes short of ousting Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in the 2022 midterm elections, will run again in 2024, he announced Tuesday.

“We lost by a mere 546 votes in '22 — the closest race in the country — and know we can make that up in '24,” Frisch said in a tweet.

Boebert was heavily favored to win reelection in her Republican-leaning district in 2022, but what was once believed to be a long shot bid for Frisch became among the most closely watched races in the nation.

-Ella Lee

Could Adam Frisch have defeated Boebert?:Lauren Boebert won. But did Democrats miss a chance to flip her Colorado district?

DNC: Nikki Haley embraced ‘most extreme elements’ of Trump agenda

Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley embraced the “most extreme elements of the MAGA agenda” while serving in former President Donald Trump’s administration, the Democratic National Committee alleged in a statement responding to her presidential candidacy announcement.

“(Haley) couldn’t even identify a single policy difference between herself and Trump,” the committee said.

Haley, who also served as governor of South Carolina, announced her intention to run for president in 2024 on Twitter Tuesday and will make her formal announcement speech Wednesday in Charleston, S.C.

-Ella Lee

Who is Nikki Haley?:Former S.C. GOP governor announces run for president in 2024

Biden names Fed’s Lael Brainard as top economic adviser

Lael Brainard, vice chair of the Federal Reserve, has been tapped to serve as President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser.

Brainard’s appointment comes as the Biden administration prepares for a potentially fraught battle with House Republicans over the nation’s debt ceiling and amid ongoing efforts to curb inflation. She will replace Brian Deese, who is expected to step down next month.

An announcement promoting Brainard to director of the National Economic Council cameTuesday.

– Ella Lee

Who is Nikki Haley? Former S.C. governor announces run for president

Just in case anyone had any doubt, Nikki Haley tweeted out a video Tuesday saying that, yes, she is indeed running for president.

Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and U.N. ambassador, sketches out her biography and attacks President Joe Biden and the Democrats - but says nothing about Donald Trump.

At the end of the video, Haley does say that she doesn’t like bullies and won’t be afraid to fight back - perhaps a warning to the volatile Trump.

In sending a potential message to Trump, Haley also referenced that she may be the only woman in the Republican field: “You should know this about me, I don’t put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.”

Haley makes her formal announcement speech Wednesday in Charleston, S.C.

– David Jackson, Mabinty Quarshie

'It's always on my mind': Five years after Parkland massacre

David Hogg fine-tunes his kick-flip between classes at Harvard and his work building consensus around gun violence prevention. Cameron Kasky immerses himself in comedy and writing in Los Angeles, frustrated with a broken American political system. Sari Kaufman flies to protests of the gun industry across the country while managing her political science coursework at Yale.

Nearly five years since a gunman killed 17 of their classmates and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine's Day, three survivors at the forefront of the March For Our Lives movement in 2018 spoke with USA TODAY about their lives now – and what they want Americans to know as the nation reflects on the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida.

"I'm still feeling the impacts of the shooting every day," Kaufman said.

– Grace Hauck

White House rules out aliens, still can't say who's behind unidentified objects

The White House said Monday there are “no indications of aliens or extraterrestrial activity” from a series of unidentified objects the U.S. shot down from North American airspace.

"I don't think the American people need to worry about aliens with respect to these crafts. Period," White House spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing.

Kirby said the U.S. hasn’t determined the origins of the objects that were shot down over Alaska, Canada and Lake Huron one week after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon in the Atlantic Ocean. The Pentagon has also not identified the purpose of the objects, which Kirby said appeared to be moving by prevailing winds, not self-propulsion, about 40,000 feet high or lower.

Complicating the search for more details, the U.S. has not made it to the debris sites of the objects, which fell in remote areas and, in two cases, frozen waters. Kirby said the U.S. has spotted “no active tracks” of additional high-altitude objects Monday.

– Joey Garrison

More:White House rules out aliens, but still can't say who is behind unidentified flying objects

Portions of Trump grand jury report to be released Thursday

A Georgia judge Monday ordered a partial public release of a grand jury's investigative report on former President Donald Trump's attempts to interfere in the 2020 election.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said three portions of the panel's report will be released Thursday, including a section expressing concerns that some witnesses may have lied under oath.

McBurney also said the grand jury's conclusions would be made public, in a ruling that represented a partial concession to District Attorney Fani Willis who argued last month that full disclosure of the panel's findings would damage an ongoing investigation.

“In this case, the state understands... the world’s interest, but we have to be mindful of protecting future defendants' rights," Willis told McBurney during a January hearing in Atlanta.

– Kevin Johnson

Trump Georgia investigation:Judge orders partial release of Trump grand jury report Thursday

Jill Biden makes a tidal shift from her thoughts on another run at the ...

CNN —

First lady Jill Biden, despite being so worn out from a recent circuit of White House events that she lost her voice, is now seriously looking ahead to her husband running for reelection in 2024. That’s a tidal shift from her position just three months ago.

Seven people familiar with Biden’s thinking told CNN that her private conversations about another run now match her publicly enthusiastic persona, as well as the sentiments of President Joe Biden.

The first lady was still mostly skeptical as of early fall – “not a proponent,” as one person familiar with her thinking told CNN. But in the month since the November midterm elections, in which Democrats defied the fate of most parties of first-term presidents, friends noted a change.

Jill Biden is now “all in” on the idea, according to a person who works with the East Wing.

Even though the last several weeks of high-profile events have left her “exhausted,” said another person, “she has begun to say the quiet part out loud.”

At a town hall the other day, for example, Biden empathized with parents and grandparents about holiday stress, lamenting the demands on her own time.

“This time of year is busy, to say the least,” she said. “I know that you probably have holiday shopping to do, cards to address or cookies to bake. … It’s not easy, is it? Sometimes all these feel like a full-time job, on top of volunteering or organizing or your real full-time job.”

As soon as her remarks were over, she tagged out and let other speakers finish the event while she hustled to the next task.

The Biden family conversations about 2024 were supposed to be on track for Christmas, however, CNN has learned from three of the people familiar that the clan is not expected to be in the same place all at the same time this year, making convening for a debate or a consensus more complicated.

“She’ll be at the White House for Christmas. They will be joined by members of their families,” said Vanessa Valdivia, Jill Biden’s press secretary, who declined further comment on family discussions.

The West Wing has long been in “he’s running” mode, with a political operation for 2024 already in the works. It’s an apparatus that has had to get started out of necessity before an official announcement. “As the president has said, he intends to run for reelection and that is something both Dr. Biden and the family fully support,” a senior adviser to Jill Biden told CNN.

Recent polling, however, suggests a large swath of the Democratic Party may not be eager to see the president run again. A new CNN poll shows 59% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they’d like to see someone other than Joe Biden at the top of the ticket in 2024 – similar to the percentage of Republicans and Republican-leaners (62%) who say they’d prefer to see their party nominate someone other than former President Donald Trump. At the same time, though, when pressed, a majority of Democratic-aligned voters with opposition to Biden as their party’s nominee say they would vote for him in a general election if he won their party’s primary.

The first lady, and she alone, has the full weight of kibosh; she can still stop what seems inevitable in a political calculus if she has concerns about her husband’s age or how another run would affect his legacy or their family. She has been a “no” vote on his higher office aspirations before – most notably in 2004, and again in 2015.

Another presidential campaign would mean more for her, too. Joe Biden’s reelection plan, if he runs, will depend heavily on his wife’s involvement. Her likability in purple and red states, as well as her own energy and endurance, are crucial to his game plan, said two people with insight into the 2024 campaign strategy. It was Jill Biden, not the president, who barnstormed more than a dozen states in the midterms, chalking up at least 39 appearances at fundraisers and speaking engagements to support candidates up and down the ballot. Asked if the first lady is prepared to hit the trail even harder for a 2024 bid, the senior Biden adviser told CNN, “She is ready and fully supportive.”

But heading into her holiday break, Biden is coming off a physically and emotionally taxing period, said those who know her. Though still leaning into the presumption a second term is in the cards, the last two weeks have nonetheless run her ragged with the obligatory duties that the often-introverted first lady finds most draining, sources close to her said.

In addition to the recent wedding of her granddaughter, and the administration’s first State Dinner, hundreds of invited guests have been streaming through the White House over the last several days for dozens of holiday parties. On Wednesday, Biden and the president hosted yet another large-scale social event, a formal dinner in the East Room of the White House, for African nation leaders and their spouses in Washington this week for a summit. Jill Biden was also charged with planning and hosting events for the spouses on Wednesday and Thursday, when a luncheon at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture will occupy a chunk of her day.

“She still has laryngitis, and is hoarse,” said a source familiar with the first lady’s rigorous schedule, alluding to Biden’s noticeably altered voice at speaking engagements this week. “She had three back-to-back parties on Saturday alone.”

“It has been a busy month,” said Elizabeth Alexander, her communications director, when asked by CNN about Biden losing her voice.

That voice is the most influential to her husband’s decision making and thus will have to be the loudest when the time does come for him to announce his plans for 2024.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive with Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff for a bill signing ceremony for the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, on the South Lawn of the White House. Patrick Semansky/AP

First lady veto power

Joe Biden is buzzing from Democrats’ midterm performance – they retained the Senate and held off Republicans from a red wave in the House – some improving economic data, successful Asia summits and the release of Brittney Griner. He is telling people he has what it takes more than ever to go up against Trump – or whoever the ultimate GOP nominee may be.

Though more squarely in the “we’re doing it” corner than she was even three months ago, Jill Biden still considers whether her husband, now 80, is up for a bruising battle, according to those familiar with her thinking.

“[Jill Biden] is the one more aware of how the last few years have affected Joe [Biden,]” noted a person with ties to the Biden family. “We – collectively, as a country – all know the age issue, sure. But she’s the one who is consistently able to analyze it.”

The senior Biden official said the first lady has “zero concerns” about the president’s schedule and stamina.

Jill Biden is also the tender of Joe Biden’s legacy. Like so many first ladies before her, she can look down the road to what’s coming, how ready her husband is for it and what the best-case scenario may be. For the last two years, whenever the topic of a second term arose, she spoke of it as an inevitability, said those who have spent time working with her. She would default to saying things like “after the reelect” or “in the second term.”

But a deeper analysis of what that would mean for Joe Biden’s legacy has only come more recently for the first lady, said others who have had more insight into conversations.

Last month, Biden’s big birthday made him the first octogenarian president of the United States. Jill Biden, 71, doesn’t want that to be the marker that leads every article and analysis about her husband after he has departed the Oval Office, friends and associates said.

She wants his political successes – current and future – to supersede the image of a frail and aged commander in chief.

But she’s still uncertain how to shift that narrative in practice. “She is not convinced whether four more years will help or hurt,” said one of the people who know her, discussing the potency of the age issue.

Joe Biden’s timeline for an announcement on his future might not wait for the first lady to reconcile the problem.

“The president will make that decision. I expect it shortly after the holiday,” said Ron Klain, Biden’s chief of staff, at a Wall Street Journal summit earlier this month. “I expect his decision will be to do it.”

The president has teased an announcement for months now, publicly saying he intends to run for reelection, often adding in the next breath he will discuss it with his wife and family first.

Keeping it in the family

Jill Biden is keenly aware of the influence she has had on her husband’s political trajectory. And this decision, while perhaps easier for Joe Biden to make as an incumbent, is no less hinged upon the blessing of the first lady. Jill Biden, as “Nana” to her grandchildren and matriarchal keeper of normalcy and tradition, has her eye on what a second term could mean for them, said the people who know her.

“She has always had one foot in Delaware, and she’s the one who thinks about every possible scenario that could play out for her family,” said someone who has known her for several years. As she crosses from “highly possible” into “certainty” territory for 2024, Biden is considering how the campaign could impact her son, Hunter Biden, who has long been a target of the president’s political opponents, and could face more investigations into his business dealings with a GOP-led House. She wants to mitigate as much as possible the strain a campaign could have on her children, and, by extension, her grandchildren, several of whom are either on the cusp of entering adulthood or already there. (With the exception of Hunter Biden’s son, Beau, who is 2.)

“This is, ultimately, a family decision,” Joe Biden said at a news conference last month. “I think everybody wants me to run, but we’re going to have discussions about it.”

Asked by members of the media a couple of weeks later over Thanksgiving – a holiday he spent with Jill Biden, Hunter Biden and his wife and son, and Ashley Biden, in Nantucket, Massachusetts – how those family discussions about 2024 were coming along, the president said they weren’t. “We’re not having any. We’re celebrating,” he responded.

With the clock on the 2024 announcement ticking, Jill Biden has one more shot at away-from-Washington alone-time with her husband, when she could wrap her head around what “all in” actually entails.

The couple heads to the warmer climes of St. Croix between Christmas and New Year’s; laying in the sun with a book is a favored activity for the first lady.

“Well, I – my guess is – I hope Jill and I get a little time to actually sneak away for a week,” the president said at his November post-election news conference at the White House, where Jill Biden sat in the front row. “And my guess is it would be early next year we make that judgment.”