FLORIDA, November 4, 2022—Top aides to former President Donald J. Trump have discussed the third week of November as an ideal launch point for his 2024 presidential campaign if Republicans win back both Houses in Congress in the midterm elections next week, according to familiar sources.
Two sources said Trump’s team has specifically discussed November 14 as one possible announcement date, which would come in the middle of an overseas trip to Asia that President Joe Biden has long been scheduled to make. Trump is unlikely to announce prior to that Monday, even if the GOP exceeds expectations on Election Night, to avoid overshadowing his daughter Tiffany’s November 12 wedding at Mar-a-Lago.
Former Georgia Representative Doug Collins reacted to Trump signaling that a 2024 announcement is imminent to Newsmax Friday.
These sources also cautioned that no date has been locked in and Trump could push it back if control of the Senate remains undecided after Election Day or Republicans see underwhelming gains in their House races.
While discussions about where Trump should launch his next White House bid have occurred, one person familiar with the matter said his team has not yet made a decision on a venue and is still toying with an announcement close to home in Palm Beach, Florida, where he has headquartered his political operation since leaving Washington, or in a Rust Belt battleground area like Ohio or Pennsylvania.
At a rally Thursday in Iowa, Trump told the audience to “get ready” for his return to the presidential campaign trail, noting that he would “very, very, very probably do it again,” in reference to running for the White House. It was his latest attempt to put Republicans on notice without outright announcing a third campaign before Election Day, something House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other top Republicans had previously encouraged Trump to refrain from doing.
“I give him a ton of credit for not announcing this year [and] for not stepping in the way of the midterm candidates. I’m glad he didn’t do that. That was certainly my advice from the beginning,” former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told reporters at an event Thursday morning.
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Source: CNN and Bee News Daily contributed to the article.
