Donald Trump opens the door to a candidacy in 2024
During a reception at the White House, the outgoing president appeared to admit that the efforts of his lawyers to challenge the election of Joe Biden may not bear fruit.
Each day a little more alone in his crusade to challenge the victory of Joe Biden, outgoing President Donald Trump is now openly discussing the possibility of running for President again in 2024.
“It has been a fantastic four years. We are trying to do four more years. Otherwise, I'll see you in four years, ”he said Tuesday evening, December 1, at a Christmas party at the White House. The event, attended by Republican Party officials, was not open to the press but a video of his speech circulated shortly after.
Repeated unfounded accusations of fraud
Almost a month after the November 3 election, Donald Trump still refuses to admit his loss to Joe Biden. Reclusive in the White House, he limits his public appearances as much as possible, contenting himself, by way of presidential communication, with angry tweets on alleged electoral fraud, which no concrete evidence supports.
In a strange video released on Wednesday afternoon, the president repeated his unfounded accusations without adding new information. In this sometimes confusing speech, which he says, looking very seriously, could be "the most important" of his political career, he says he is "determined to protect the electoral system". Its long version, posted on Facebook, lasts 46 minutes.
On Tuesday, Justice Minister Bill Barr was extremely clear on this issue. "At this stage, we have not seen fraud on a scale likely to change the result of the election", launched this ultra-conservative, whose words have all the more marked the spirits that he is part of the president's close guard.
A bet won by Grover Cleveland
According to NBC, Donald Trump has raised with relatives the possibility of announcing the launch of his campaign for 2024 on January 20, the day of the swearing-in of Joe Biden, which he would therefore not attend. The former businessman says he's a little superstitious. In 2017, he had the file filed for a new candidacy in 2020 as of January 20, the day he took office.
True to his sense of provocation, he might also take the opportunity to use a recipe he particularly likes: counter-programming. On several occasions during his tenure, he boycotted the White House Correspondents Association dinner and organized a campaign rally that same evening.
A bid for 2024 would, of course, keep him at the center of the game for the short term. But the road will be strewn with pitfalls. As of January 20, he will become "ex-president" and the equation will change dramatically. The fear he inspires among Republican elected officials and the media attention he enjoys (and craves) will diminish considerably. However, as he tweeted, Donald Trump did not suffer the rout in the polls that some predicted him and can claim a solid base of supporters.
In theory, nothing prevents him from trying his luck again in 2024. The US Constitution prohibits serving more than two terms, but making two non-consecutive is a possibility. Only one man succeeded in this bet: Grover Cleveland, at the end of the 19th century. Elected in 1884, he was defeated in 1888, then re-elected in 1892. He is, in the history books, both the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Grover Cleveland was 56 at the start of his second term. Donald Trump will have 78 in 2024.
