A prime window to launch former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign is approaching as his team prepares for a post-midterm announcement.
Trump’s aides and allies are looking at the two weeks after the Nov. 8 election as a potential time to announce his third campaign for president, the Associated Press reported.
People close to Trump are discussing possible venues and dates for the announcement, and Trump’s team has been scouting out staff in key states and preparing all the paperwork, AP reported.
But AP sources cautioned that Trump hasn’t made a final decision. Hiring for the campaign hasn’t started and that post-midterm window could be affected by things like delayed election results or a Georgia runoff election.
Also, AP reported that some close to Trump still think his ego couldn’t handle another potential loss. Many of his former aides are expected to avoid the former president this time around, which may leave him wanting for staff.
And Trump’s legal woes continue to escalate. He’s under Justice Department investigation over allegedly classified documents kept at his Florida club; the Jan. 6 committee just served him a subpoena; and a lawsuit from New York alleging decades of fraud could bar him from doing business in that state.
Still, Reince Priebus, one of Trump’s former chiefs of staff, told AP he’s “like 95 percent” sure Trump will run.
“The real question,” he added, “is are other big challengers going to run? If President Trump runs, he will be very difficult for any Republican to defeat.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is often referenced as a strong potential challenger and discussed as a more strategic, disciplined alternative to the former president. Trump been hammering DeSantis recently: he called him out for endorsing an anti-Trump Republican, and said he agreed with a clip of Megyn Kelly saying DeSantis couldn’t beat him.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 78 percent of Republicans want Trump to run for 2024. But about 54 percent of overall Americans have an unfavorable view of the former president, according to an average of polls analyzed by FiveThirtyEight.
