Former US President Donald Trump kicked off his 2024 White House bid with a stop in New Hampshire on Saturday before heading to South Carolina, the states where the first primaries will be held. of the presidential election.
“We start here as a presidential candidate,” Trump told party leaders at the New Hampshire Republican Party annual meeting in Salem before a late afternoon stop at Columbia to present his management team in South Carolina. “I’m angrier today and I’m more engaged now than ever. »
Donald Trump and his allies are hoping events in states with enormous power to pick the candidate will offer a show of force behind the former president after a slow start to the campaign that left many questioning his commitment to show up again. In recent weeks, his supporters have reached out to politicians and elected officials to enlist the support of Donald Trump at a critical time when other Republicans are preparing their own candidacies.
In New Hampshire, Donald Trump promoted his campaign agenda, including on immigration and crime, and he said his policies would be the opposite of President Joe Biden’s. He cited the Democrats’ decision to change the election calendar, costing New Hampshire its top spot in the primaries. He also accused Mr. Biden, who finished fifth in New Hampshire in 2020, of “shamefully trashing this beloved political tradition.”
“I hope you remember that in the general election,” Trump told party members. Donald Trump has twice won the primaries, but he lost the state each time to the Democrats.
While Donald Trump remains the only declared presidential candidate for 2024, potential opponents including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who was Mr. Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, could launch their campaign in the coming months.
In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster, US Senator Lindsey Graham and several members of the state’s congressional delegation planned to attend Mr Trump’s event.
Donald Trump’s team has struggled to garner support from South Carolina lawmakers, even from some who have backed him eagerly before. Some said it was too early to make endorsements more than a year from the primaries or they were waiting to see who else would enter the race. Others said it was time for the party to transition from Mr Trump to a new generation of leaders.
The South Carolina event, which took place in a government building, was in some ways unusual for the former reality TV star who typically favors large gatherings and has tried to cultivate a fringe image.
Rallies are expensive and Mr Trump added new financial challenges when he decided to start his campaign in November – much sooner than many had demanded. This subjects him to strict fundraising rules and he cannot use his well-funded political action committee to pay for these events, which can cost millions of dollars.
Donald Trump remains the only announced candidate for 2024, and early polls show he is the favorite to win his party’s nomination.