Donald Trump, a former US president, has announced his third run for the presidency, saying that “America’s return starts right now.”
He declared, “We have to save our country,” from his Florida residence.
The decision by Mr. Trump comes as some Republican party members hold him responsible for the underwhelming showing of their group in last week’s midterm elections.
President Joe Biden, who dethroned Donald Trump two years ago, has hinted that he would fight for reelection in 2024.
We are a nation in decline,” declared Mr. Trump, 76, when addressing an audience of guests from the ballroom of his Mar-a-Lago private club in Palm Beach.
“For millions of Americans, the past two years under Joe Biden have been a time of pain, hardship, anxiety, and despair.”
He said, “I am announcing my candidacy for president of the United States tonight in order to make America great and glorious again.
He officially declared his candidacy for president and established a fundraising account with the Federal Election Commission just before the address.
Meanwhile, supporters gathered outside Mar-a-Lago to fly Trump 2024 banners.
Over an hour long, Mr. Trump’s speech touched on many of the same topics he has been reiterating on stage for months.
Border security, energy independence, and crime were among them, along with criticisms of Mr. Biden’s performance in office.
After the speech, he was joined on stage by his wife, Melania Trump. Ivanka Trump and Donald Jr. did not attend, and there were fewer family members present than at some of his previous events.
At the G20 conference in Bali, Indonesia, nearly 11,000 miles (17,700 kilometers) away, Mr. Biden was questioned about his reaction to Mr. Trump’s declaration.
It is believed that Mr. Trump made his unusually early declaration for the election on November 5, 2024, as a strategy to go out in front of potential challengers for the Republican presidential nomination.
Despite being the first to enter the campaign and immediately taking the lead, Mr. Trump is anticipated to face opposition.
They might include his 63-year-old ex-vice president Mike Pence and 44-year-old rising star Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida.
In his statements on Tuesday, Mr. Trump mostly refrained from repeating his unfounded allegations that widespread voter fraud cost him the 2020 election.
He refused to accept that he had lost by seven million votes and resigned from government after serving only one term in 2021.
As senators gathered to ratify President Biden’s win in the closing days of his reign, his discredited conspiracies inflamed supporters, who rioted on Capitol Hill.
Despite Senate Republicans blocking congressional Democrats’ efforts to remove Mr. Trump from office, he became the first president to ever be impeached twice.
Despite requests from advisers to delay the announcement until after a run-off election for the Georgia Senate seat next month out of concern that his candidacy may become an undue distraction, he went ahead with it on Tuesday.
Conservatives have accused Mr. Trump of failing to lead the Republicans to resounding victories in last week’s midterm elections.
Even while the party is just 218 votes away from taking control of the 435-seat US House of Representatives, it would be by a very narrow margin.
After the Georgia run-off in December, Democrats may even increase their advantage in the Senate, where they have maintained control.
Results from last week were distinctly unreliable for congressional candidates who received Mr. Trump’s support.
While others won in Ohio, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, he supported candidates in crucial states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Michigan who were defeated after echoing his election theories.
Amid multiple investigations into Mr. Trump, including one by the justice department into the removal of secret documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after his presidency, he announced his candidacy for president.
