Former US President, Donald Trump on Tuesday night, November 15, announced his third run for the White House, becoming the first Republican to enter the 2024 presidential race.
Trump cast aside criticism over the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and recent Republican party anger about the GOP’s struggles in the midterm elections.
Trump, 76, declared his candidacy in Palm Beach, Florida, almost two years from the November 2024 national elections and after publicly flirting with a pre-midterm entry over the summer.
Official paperwork forming the “Donald J. Trump for President 2024″ campaign committee was filed with the Federal Election Commission just prior to his speech.
“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump told a crowded ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate. “Together, we will be taking on the most corrupt forces and entrenched interests imaginable.”
In his speech, the twice-impeached former president described “bl00d-soaked” American streets and said the county is “being destroyed.”
Trump claimed China played an active role in deciding his 2020 race with President Biden. TV networks cut away from the speech after Trump declared his candidacy.
“Our country is in a horrible state — we’re in grave trouble,” Trump said. “This is not a task for a politician or a conventional candidate. This is a task for a great movement.”
During the speech, Biden responded with a tweet that said “Donald Trump failed America.” The post included a video highlighting Trump’s central role in erasing federal abortion rights and inspiring the mob that laid waste to the Capitol.
The timing of his 2024 announcement is early. Most candidates for the White House launch their campaigns within a year before the election.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seen as the best-positioned Republican to contest against Trump while Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, is another possible contender.
Trump won almost 140 million votes in two presidential general elections, and remains a formidable force in American politics.
