The promoter of Make America Great Again (MAGA), former US president, Donald Trump has indicated his decision to contest the 2024 presidential elections, a move analysts considered as a strategic move to discourage other potential candidates from the prime job.
In a speech lasting little more than an hour, Trump spoke to hundreds of supporters in a ballroom decorated with chandeliers and lined with American flags.
“In order to make America great again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump said to the phone-waving crowd, which included family members, donors and former staffers.
“Two years ago we were a great nation and soon we will be a great nation again,” he said.
Expectedly, he came hard on immigrants, saying “We’re being poisoned” – and portraying American cities as crime-ridden “cesspools of blood.”
He said he would push for the death penalty for drug dealers and rehire members of the military who had been dismissed for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Likely Republican contenders are Florida Governor Ron DeSantis or his own former vice president, Mike Pence.
DeSantis handily won re-election as governor last week. Pence has sought to distance himself from Trump while promoting a new book. Other potential Republican presidential hopefuls include Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
