On Tuesday night, at a press conference before an audience at his Mar-a-Lago club, former President Donald Trump announced his intention to run for president in 2024, kicking off another campaign cycle just a week after his term ends in 2022.
Flanked by American flags and surrounded by giant signs bearing his 2016 “Make America Great Again” slogan, which has become synonymous with the political movement he sparked, Trump declared that “America’s comeback starts now.”
“To make America great and glorious again, I am announcing my candidacy for President of the United States tonight,” Trump said.
THIS IS!
TRUMP: “To Make America Great and Glorious Again, I am announcing my candidacy for President of the United States tonight!” pic.twitter.com/BaULct2DcP
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 16, 2022
“We are a nation in decline, we are a nation in decline,” Trump said of the country’s trajectory since Biden took office.
“We are here to declare that it doesn’t have to be this way,” Trump added. “This fall is not a fate we must accept,” he explained. “I believe the American people will overwhelmingly reject the leftist platform of national ruin.”
“This is not a task for a politician or a conventional candidate, this is a task for a great movement,” Trump said of his third presidential campaign now ahead. “I will fight like no one has ever done before,” Trump said.
Shortly before Trump spoke from Mar-a-Lago, an FEC filing showed the creation of a novel organization, “DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT 2024.”
It’s official: Trump is filing FEC paperwork to run for president in 2024. pic.twitter.com/IoSI3JhUqW
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) November 16, 2022
There was no tension behind Trump’s statements The “big announcement” comes after he announced the event would take place during his rally on the eve of the Ohio election. “We don’t want anything to diminish the importance of tomorrow,” Trump said eight days ago. And, i.eOn Tuesday, Trump said on Truth Social, “I hope TODAY turns out to be one of the most important days in the history of our country!”
The glitzy ballroom at Mar-a-Lago proved to be a slightly more subdued setting for Trump’s 2024 announcement than the MAGA rallies that have become a hallmark of his roadshow. But like the June day in 2015 when Trump rode up the golden escalator into the lobby of the Manhattan skyscraper that bears his name to announce that he would run for president in 2016, his announcement Tuesday night came from his home turf .
In his statement, Trump also mocked President Biden for his regular gaffes on the world stage, noting that he “falls asleep” in critical meetings and most recently confused the countries Colombia and Cambodia during his current foreign trip.
TRUMP: “Now we have a president who falls asleep at world conferences…” pic.twitter.com/wRIYY5TkPc
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 16, 2022
It is unclear who Trump will face in the November 2024 general election if he receives the Republican nomination. President Biden, who turns 80 on Sunday, remains wary about whether he will run for a second term as a handful of Democrats have tried to suggest he give up after his first term. At a post-term news conference, Biden said he would consult with his family before making a final decision.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
