Donald Trump hits of probable run for the US Presidency in 2024

Former US President, Donald Trump hasn’t made a formal announcement of his possible intent to run for the US Presidency again but he is getting very, very, very close to one.

Mr Trump has been hinting about running for president more and more in recent months, but his comment on Thursday that he will “very, very, very probably do it again” at a rally in Iowa – a key early state in the Republican presidential primary process – is the most direct yet.

Mr Trump’s remarks came on the same day that his former campaign manager and White House advisor, Kellyanne Conway, told reporters that they could expect an announcement from the former president “soon”.

By all indications, the former president is itching to get back in an increasingly crowded political arena. Some of his potential 20204 rivals – like his former Vice-President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – are laying the groundwork for their own campaigns. The sooner Mr Trump announces, if that is his desire, the sooner he can try to snuff out those efforts before they catch fire.

That’s not Trump’s only concern, either. He also has a broad range of legal troubles, including a criminal investigation of his post-election pressure efforts in Georgia, a federal inquiry into his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and a civil lawsuit against his business empire in New York, that would be easier for him to cast as politically motivated if he were to be an official candidate.

And perhaps most importantly, running for president would give him the platform and political oxygen that he’s been lacking for the past two years.

The timing of Trump’s latest presidential hint, however, could be fraught. Coming just days before the midterm elections, some Republicans fear that his increased presence on the campaign trail and constant winks toward another campaign will motivate Democrats to vote and distract Republicans trying to frame these elections as a referendum on an unpopular President Joe Biden.

If the Republicans falter now, Trump will shoulder considerable blame. It appears he is making a big bet on Republicans having a very good election day next week, allowing him to prove those naysayers wrong and take credit for the success of the party and of his hand-picked candidates in key races. Then he uses that momentum to springboard to 2024, which suddenly doesn’t seem that far off.

Source: BBC