Despite election responsibility debates... Trump insists on "major announcement" on the 15th, third presidential bid

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] Former President Donald Trump, who has been caught up in a blame game over the Republican Party's unexpected poor performance in the U.S. November 8 midterm elections, is expected to go ahead with his declaration to run for the 2024 presidential election on the 15th (local time) despite objections from his close aides. This would mark his third bid for the presidency.

According to AFP and other sources, former President Trump invited the media to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on the 15th. This is the "major announcement" he had previously promised. It is almost certain that Trump will declare his candidacy for the presidential election at this event. Jason Miller, one of Trump's advisers, said, "He will announce his candidacy," adding, "His speech is expected to be very professional and restrained."

If Trump declares his candidacy, it will be his third attempt following his victory in the 2016 presidential election and defeat in the 2020 re-election. Initially, Trump aimed to carry the momentum to the presidency based on the Republican Party's expected landslide victory in the midterms. This is why he had early on announced a "major announcement on the 15th." On the day of the midterm elections, as he left a polling station in Florida, he emphasized, "There will be a very big announcement," and said, "The 15th will be a very interesting day."

However, the vote count results were different from expectations. Not only did the Democrats retain control of the Senate, but the Republicans are also expected to become the majority in the House by a narrow margin, resulting in a disappointing outcome for the Republican Party. In particular, voices citing the consolidation of anti-Trump forces and Trump's missteps in supporting unqualified candidates as reasons for the Democrats' strong performance have increased, intensifying the 'blame game.'

Accordingly, Trump's close aides reportedly tried to persuade him to postpone the major announcement originally scheduled for the 15th until after the Georgia Senate runoff election on December 6. However, Trump rejected this and showed strong determination to proceed with his presidential campaign.

There are three main reasons why he is pushing ahead with the existing schedule despite the election blame. First, since the "major announcement on the 15th = presidential candidacy declaration" has already been announced, postponing it would be tantamount to admitting responsibility for the poor election results.

Earlier, Trump confirmed in an interview with Fox News immediately after the election that the schedule on the 15th would not change. He said, "We had tremendous success (in this election)," and questioned, "Why should we change?" This was interpreted as a statement to draw a line against the blame directed at him and to build public opinion that the relatively good results were thanks to him, thereby adding justification for his presidential bid.

Additionally, this move is also aimed at checking competitors such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who confirmed his presence as a 'presidential contender within the Republican Party' through this midterm election. During the campaign, Trump openly warned Governor DeSantis, "If you run, you will get badly hurt," and mocked another contender, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, by saying, "Doesn't 'Youngkin' sound like a Chinese name?" Trump has also argued that former Trump administration officials, including former Vice President Mike Pence, should not run as presidential candidates if he runs.

Lastly, it is also a card to guard against indictments from the Democrats or the Department of Justice. Facing judicial risks, Trump is calculated to declare his candidacy before any indictment to rally his supporters and expect a kind of political shield. Currently, Trump is under investigation for allegations including inciting the January 6 Capitol riot, election interference by pressuring Georgia to change election results, and leaking classified documents.

The blame surrounding former President Trump continues. In this election, candidates supported by Trump, such as Mehmet Oz (Philadelphia) and Adam Laxalt (Nevada) for the Senate, were reported to have suffered defeats or struggled. Political analyst Chuck Goplin said, "If the candidates supported by former Vice President Pence, not Trump, had run as Republican candidates, the Republican Party would have secured an easy victory." Republican political strategist Scott Reed mentioned, "Trump's selection of many second-rate candidates was a decisive cause of defeat."

Earlier, it is expected that President Joe Biden's decision on whether to seek re-election, having faced Trump in the 2020 presidential election, will be announced after the State of the Union address early next year. Reports from the local area suggest that President Biden has become bolder after performing well in this midterm election. The New York Times (NYT) reported, "President Biden likes to be called the only person who defeated former President Trump," and added, "Despite low approval ratings, there is a mood within the party that he is the best choice to beat Trump."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.