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Former President Donald Trump could announce a bid in 2024 ahead of schedule.
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Trump thinks the announcement could distract from the Jan. 6 hearings, the NYT reported.
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But some worry it could hurt the GOP’s midterm coverage, which has railed against Biden.
President Donald Trump may be planning to make an unusually early announcement of his plans to run for president, but not all Republicans are convinced this would be the right move for the party.
Trump has long been teasing a White House run in 2024 and has continued to hold campaign-style rallies, stopping to say definitively whether he plans to enter the race. However, recent revelations from the House Select committee hearings on the Jan. 6 uprising are affecting his plans, according to a report by The New York Times†
Now Trump is considering announcing a run much earlier than expected, possibly even this month, in part as an effort to distract from the hearings, the outlet reported.
The Jan. 6 hearing this week contained allegations particularly damaging to Trump, including explosive testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, who was the top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows at the time of the Capitol attack.
Among other things, Hutchinson said that the White House deputy chief of staff told her that Trump was so eager to go to the Capitol with his supporters that he jumped at the wheel of the presidential limousine† She also said that at one point he got so angry that he… threw his lunch plate against a White House wall, and that his response to rioters chanting “hang Mike Pence” was… the vice president “deserves it.”
Trump has denied all of Hutchinson’s testimony, calling her “bad news.” Still, other Republicans have spoken out: concern that her testimony could hurt Trump†
Sources close to Trump told The Times he thinks announcing a 2024 bid could be good for him soon, even though others in the party aren’t so sure.
Among them is Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee, who told Trump he had to delay his announcement until after the midterms in November, according to the outlet, over concerns it could take down the GOP’s interim messages.
Democrats face an uphill battle to maintain their majority in Congress as Republican posts have spoken out against President Joe Biden and exacerbated skyrocketing gas prices and raging inflation.
Republican Senator Pat Toomey said this week he thought the Jan. 6 hearings were detrimental to Trump, going so far as to say he didn’t think the former president would be the GOP’s nominee in 2024, even if he decides to run for office. set.
However, Trump has maintained high popularity among Republican voters, with early… polls easily put him in the lead against other potential 2024 primary candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump’s office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Read the original article Business Insider