Silke Jasso
“I am looking at it very seriously, beyond seriously.” That’s how former President Donald Trump says he feels about the possibility of running a 2024 presidential campaign. Trump teased the potential of a future presidential run during an interview with Sean Hannity on the Fox News Channel on Monday evening.
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Former President Donald Trump Discussed a Potential 2024 Presidential Run
The hour-long interview — which Fox touted as “Trump’s first on-camera television interview since leaving the White House — was taped Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
After addressing Hannity’s inquiry about running for reelection, Trump noted: “From a legal standpoint, I don’t want to really talk about it yet, it’s a little too soon”. Although he didn’t clarify what he meant by “legal standpoint”, Trump could be referring to the two criminal investigations underway against him — in Georgia, for attempts to overturn the state’s election results, and in New York for financial wrongdoing.
“Look, I’ve got tremendous numbers,” Trump said when Hannity prodded him for more details. “There is more popularity [for me] now than there was the day before the election.” In the same interview, Trump revealed that he maintains a close friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“He writes me letters, I like him, he likes me,” Trump said. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
During the interview, Trump returned to some of his old arguments. The ex-President repeated false claims that election fraud robbed him of a victory over President Joe Biden. Trump also criticized the Democrat President and his administration on issues like immigration and their handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier in the interview, the former president — himself vaccinated — also revealed he was asked to make a commercial encouraging Americans to get vaccinated for COVID-19, but said he turned them down because the FDA halted the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Could Trump be Elected in 2024?
Trump has made hints that he plans to run for reelection in 2024, with rumors swirling that he’d dump former Vice President Mike Pence in favor of a Black or female running mate. Sources maintain that it is indeed possible for Trump to be elected, with two impeachments by the House alone reportedly insufficient grounds to keep him from a future presidential run. Trump is still highly influential in the Republican party, and a number of GOP lawmakers –Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — have said they would support Trump if he ran in 2024.
McConnell told Fox News he would “absolutely” back Trump if he runs again, despite having criticized the ex-President for being “practically and morally responsible” for January’s Capitol insurrection. Haley, herself a top-tier 2024 candidate, told The Associated Press that she will sit out of the race if Trump runs.
Other Republican leaders eyeing a potential presidential run for the White House include former Vice President Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Florida Gov Ron DeSantis. A Harvard-Harris poll found that 42 percent of Republican voters would prefer Trump as their 2024 presidential nominee over Mike Pence, who came in second with 18 percent.
