He is about to return to the arena: Donald Trump is expected to announce his candidacy for the 2024 US presidential election on Tuesday, ignoring calls from part of his camp to withdraw from the game after the poor performance of his foals in the elections of mid-term.
The Republican billionaire promised a “very big announcement” from his luxurious residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, at 9:00 p.m. local time – the content of which no longer really arouses suspense but which should nevertheless delight his millions of supporters.
His adviser Jason Miller promised a “very professional, very neat” statement, in which the former president will be surrounded by a large group of activists “holding signs”.
Known for his unpredictability, Donald Trump, who has been flirting for months with the idea of representing himself, could still upset the calendar at the last minute.
A retreat would be difficult, however, as it has raised expectations. The businessman predicted that Tuesday could well be “one of the most important days in the history of our country”.
No “giant wave”
Coming to power in November 2016 in an unprecedented political scenario that almost none had predicted, Donald Trump had flouted all customs during his presidency. He left Washington in chaos after failing to seek re-election against Joe Biden — a defeat he never acknowledged.
This new candidacy would therefore be the third of the septuagenarian to the White House.
It also foreshadows a possible remake of the 2020 presidential election: President Biden recently reaffirmed his “intention” to run for a second term, although he was careful to postpone any final decision until next year.
Was he going to declare himself a candidate even before the end of the midterms ? Rumors have been rife in recent weeks about an imminent announcement by Donald Trump, the ex-president then determined to ride on the anticipated success of the Republicans in the November 8 election to regain power.
But the “giant wave” predicted with great aplomb by the conservatives has not materialized, far from it: President Biden’s Democratic party made sure this weekend to keep control of the Senate, and could even widen its majority, thwarting the predictions of the pollsters.
The Republicans will most likely take over the House of Representatives from the Democrats, but with a significantly smaller majority than expected.
To make matters worse, one of his close allies, Kari Lake, failed Monday to seize the coveted seat of governor of Arizona.
This more than mixed performance of the Republican camp, in particular on the part of candidates dubbed by Donald Trump, has tarnished the reputation of the kingmaker of the tribune.
Several influential voices in the conservative camp have called on the real estate magnate to step aside from the Republican leadership, casting a shadow over his presidential projects.
Its former vice-president, Mike Pence, who publishes his memoirs on Tuesday in which he recounts, among other things, the pressures suffered to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, notably refused to comment on a possible candidacy of Donald Trump during a interview on the American channel ABC broadcast Monday evening.
“It’s up to the Americans to decide, but I think we will have better choices in the future,” said Mr. Pence, who is also credited with presidential ambitions for 2024.
Duel in Florida?
But part of the conservative electorate has already turned to another possible candidate for the White House and resident of Florida: its governor Ron DeSantis. The 40-year-old, new star of the hard right, who is coming out stronger from the mid-term elections, assured that his fight “was only just beginning”.
But Donald Trump retains for the moment an undeniable popularity with his base, a tide of red caps which continues to flow to his campaign meetings. The majority of polls still give him the winner of a Republican primary.
However, one obstacle could complicate Donald Trump’s rise to the White House: his numerous legal troubles, which could end up disqualifying him.
The former president is the target of several investigations for his role in the attack on the headquarters of Congress on January 6, 2021 or his management of the White House archives.
By relying on an “instinct” always put forward, Donald Trump, whose fall has been announced a thousand times, has so far survived all the scandals. As if, by dint of accumulation, they no longer had any effect on him.