In a much-anticipated announcement at his Mar-a-Lago property shortly after filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, Asset told elite supporters in a gilded ballroom that the United States can’t take four more years of a Joe Biden ‘falling asleep at world conferences’ and making America ‘despicable’ with the rest of the world.
Donald Trump wants another shot at being President of the United States, files candidacy papers for 2024 election
“Three years ago, when I left office, the United States was ready for its golden age. Our nation was at the pinnacle of power, prosperity and prestige – dominating all its rivals, vanquishing all haters and heading into the future, confident, resourceful,” Trump said. bragged, claiming that “America’s decline is being forced upon us by Biden and the crazies on the radical left who run our government to the ground.”
Trump’s announcement came days after a disappointing Republican score sheet in the midterm elections, with many party stalwarts blaming him for the fiasco. The announcement also appeared to be aimed at anticipating a first move by Ron DeSantis, who won a resounding second term as governor of Florida and emerged as a putative challenger to Trump for the party’s presidential nomination.
Some critics argued the announcement was motivated by a strategy to derail investigations into a series of cases and possible prosecution, including the January 6 insurrection. A few constitutional provisions cited – including one which decrees “No person shall be president or hold any office, civil or military … having engaged in insurrection or rebellion against him, or having aided or comforted his enemies” – to affirm that he is not eligible to run.
Trump dismissed those concerns, lambasting the so-called ‘deep state’, the ‘false records’ against him and the FBI’s raid on his property as he spoke about his ‘movement’ of millions. As he rambled on for an hour with his “greatest hits,” including rants about rigged elections, voter fraud, crime and illegal immigration, television networks, including his favorite Fox News, are shunned from coverage even as many top Republicans have held back their public support.
But the biggest blow of the night came from her own daughter Ivanka, who was not present at the event and said in a later statement that she loved her father but “chose to prioritize my young children and the privacy that we create as a family” and would stay “out of the political arena.” Trump’s wife, Melania, accompanied him and his sons Eric, Barron and son-in-law Jared Kushner were present.
Many pundits and talking heads, including some on the Republican side, have written off Trump, saying he has exhausted the American electorate and become boring. “Whether or not Donald Trump’s hat is in the ring, he’s finished as a serious contender for high office…he’s yesterday’s man,” an NYT oped said.
Even establishment Republicans trashed him, saying the party needed to leave him behind and move on to new leaders. Former Senator John McCain’s daughter, Megan McCain, called the event “low energy” with the announcement of her third White House shooting with a “groan”.
“It won’t do much to persuade anyone outside of his ardent and uncompromising base to support his candidacy. I dare say he looked old and his message has become stale,” McCain wrote, after having gloated over the loss of Trump- has backed candidates for senator and governor of Arizona, where his family has shied away for decades.
