Former US President Donald Trump has filed papers to contest for the post of president again in 2024, according to a CNN report.
Trump launched the bid for the presidency on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a week after midterm elections in which Republicans failed to win as many seats in Congress as they had hoped with the much flaunted “red wave” not materialising.
In a speech broadcast live on US television, Trump spoke to hundreds of supporters in a ballroom lined with dozens of American flags.
“In order to make America great again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump said to a cheering crowd of loyal supporters.
“I am running because I believe the world has not yet seen the true glory of what this nation can be,” he said.
“We will again put America first,” he added.
Earlier in the day, aides filed paperwork with the US Federal Election Commission setting up a committee called “Donald J Trump for President 2024.”
There is a long road ahead before the Republican presidential nominee is formally selected in the summer of 2024, with the first state-level contests more than a year away.
Analysts believe Trump’s unusually early launch may well be aimed at fending off potential challengers for the party’s nomination in 2024, including rising star Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 44, and Trump’s own former vice president, Mike Pence, 63.
Trump is set to declare his 2024 White House bid on Tuesday which he thought would be done in the wake of a major victory in the polls but that has not materialised. As a result, Trump is facing criticism from within the party and there are other potential Republican candidates who would like to run for the next Presidential elections.
According to US media reports, a letter circulated by three Republican senators calls for the postponement of party leadership elections currently scheduled for the middle of next week.
“We are all disappointed that a Red Wave failed to materialize, and there are multiple reasons it did not,” the letter said.
“We need to have serious discussions within our conference as to why and what we can do to improve our chances in 2024,” it added.
Some suggest Trump’s early entry into the presidential race is designed to fend off possible criminal charges arising from multiple investigations into the final weeks of his presidency as well as his business affairs.
