Former President Donald Trump said he’s made his decision about whether to run in 2024.
“Well, in my own mind, I’ve already made that decision, so nothing factors in anymore,” he told the outlet.
“I would say my big decision will be whether I go before or after,” Trump said, indicating that he is undecided on whether to announce before or after the 2022 midterm elections.
He said there were “certain assets” in announcing the decision before the midterms.
“Let people know. I think a lot of people would not even run [for 2024] if I did that because, if you look at the polls, they don’t even register. Most of these people. And I think that you would actually have a backlash against them if they ran. People want me to run,” Trump said.
“I feel very confident that, if I decide to run, I’ll win.”
Trump’s comments came as the latest in a series of hints to the public about a 2024 run, despite not having officially announced his decision.
Trump–DeSantis 2024?
When asked about a Trump–DeSantis ticket, Trump said he has a good relationship with the Republican governor.Trump was referring to his 2018 endorsement of DeSantis. And after Trump’s endorsement, DeSantis’s support rapidly increased before he defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum.
Since then, DeSantis has become one of the most popular Republican officials in the country, particularly for his handling of COVID-19 vaccines and pandemic-related rules in Florida. The Florida governor has often downplayed suggestions that he run for president in 2024, saying he’s more focused on running the state.
Meanwhile, Republican figures have noted that Trump’s influence in the GOP is far from waning.
“I don’t delude myself into thinking I have a big swath of the Republican Party,” Trump critic Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told Politico in May about his thoughts on the former president. “It’s hard to imagine anything that would derail his support.”
‘Back on the Right Track’
Trump’s comments about his decision on the presidential track were made public on the same day that the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) announced the former president’s participation in a high-profile event that will feature many elements of his 2016 platform.Trump’s attendance at the event will be the first time he has made a public appearance in Washington since leaving office in January 2021.
“The America First Policy Institute is excited to welcome President Donald Trump back to Washington, D.C. Our team will introduce a policy agenda that will get our country back on the right track. These policies worked before, and they will work again. America’s future is America First!” Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of AFPI and former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Trump, said in a press release on July 14.
The event will feature themes aligned with Trump’s “America First” agenda, including election integrity, border security, lowering gas prices, delivering peace “through strength,” fighting government corruption, and parental control in education.
The event will be closed to the general public but will be livestreamed and open to the press.
It will feature high-profile conservative figures and current and former Republican office holders, including eight former Cabinet-level officials, nine Trump White House officials, 10 senators, 13 House representatives, and three former governors.
These include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Rep. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf.
“It wasn’t that long ago that America was flourishing. Paychecks were growing. Poverty was shrinking. The price of gas was down. The stock market was up. And there were no new wars,” Rollins said.
“What a difference 16 months makes.”