US: Donald Trump launches presidential campaign for 2024 elections
Former United States (US) President Donald Trump officially declared his candidacy and launched his campaign for the 2024 presidential elections at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday night. His aide Bradley Crate filed his papers with the US Federal Election Commission to form a new campaign committee. He addressed his supporters in his speech, invoking his slogan of "making America great again."
Why does this story matter?
This comes after a disappointing show of the Republicans, the party to which Trump belongs, in the midterm elections last week in which they fell short of the seats estimated to win in the US Congress. Trump has repeatedly questioned the integrity of the US voting since his defeat at the hands of incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden in the 2020 elections.
Trump supporters welcomed his bid enthusiastically
Campaign launched unusually early
The campaign is launched unusually ahead of the polls, while the first state-level contests are still over a year away. Speculations are rife of a simmering infighting between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is emerging as another potential presidential candidate for the Republicans. It is also inferred as an attempt to fend off his former vice president Mike Pence from making the presidential bid.
Trump seems to have lost some support
While Pence has distanced himself from Trump, DeSantis had a resounding victory in the midterm elections — in which Trump promoted candidates who parroted his false claims of a voting fraud regarding his defeat. Other potential Republican candidates for the presidential race include Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Trump is accused of corruption besides other offenses
Ex-president is facing numerous investigations
Meanwhile, Trump is facing several legal challenges, including numerous probes that might result in indictments. The list includes an investigation into hundreds of classified documents the FBI seized from his Florida estate, and the ongoing state and federal probes regarding the 2020 elections.
