Seven years after riding a golden escalator down the atrium of Trump Tower in New York and announcing his candidacy for US president, Donald Trump launched another presidential run on Tuesday night.
trumpet submit documents was asked to run for president for a third time just minutes before entering the gilded “big ballroom” of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife Melania by his side. “Did you hear the people singing?” from the musical Les Misérables is played over the loudspeaker, before the soundtrack abruptly switches to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA”.
In an ornate room with 15 crystal chandeliers, trumpet was introduced as the next president of the United States before stepping onto a stage decorated with more than a dozen American flags along with signs bearing his original campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” .
Addressing hundreds of supporters and hundreds of other members of the national and international media, Trump, 76, said he is running again “to make America great and great again.” again”.
He described the event as a “very classy night out” in “a very classy place”.
The marble room is home to some of Trump’s most vocal allies, including former advisers such as Roger Stone, who was pardoned by Trump at the end of his presidency for allegations related to his involvement. the investigation of Mueller, Stephen Miller, and Sebastian Gorka.
Also present was Devin Nunes, a former resident who served as chief executive officer of Trump’s struggling media company, Trump Media & Technology Group; Richard Grenell, Trump’s one-time ambassador to Germany; and Mike Lindell, the chief executive officer of MyPillow, who rose to fame after supporting Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” and “stolen” from him.
But equally remarkable are those who weren’t there. Madison Cawthorn, the outgoing North Carolina congressman who lost his re-election bid earlier this year after being ousted in the Republican primaries, appears to be the only member of Congress with face. Florida congressman Matt Gaetz was expected to attend but withdrew Tuesday afternoon, blaming the weather, despite clear skies in Palm Beach and mild temperatures reaching into the mid-80s. degrees F.
There were also key members of the president’s family, including his young daughter, Tiffany, who had been married at Mar-a-Lago just two days earlier; his son, Donald Jr, who is said to be hunting out of state; and his eldest daughter, Ivanka, who serves as a senior adviser in her father’s White House but has sought to distance herself from politics since the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol .
Ivanka, attended by husband Jared Kushner, released a statement following her father’s speech, saying that while she “loves[d]”he’s “very fond of,” she “has no intention of getting involved in politics,” including his upcoming presidential campaign.
“This time around, I’m choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we’re creating as a family,” she said in a statement posted to social media. your social media. “Although I will always support my father, in the future, I will do so outside of politics.”
Her absence shows how many in Trump’s inner circle are wary of his third bid for the White House, as he faces growing legal challenges. while Republic lined up to blame him for the party’s disappointing performance in last week’s midterm elections.
In a rambling hour-long speech Tuesday night, Trump sought to downplay the outcome of the midterm elections, in which Democrats kept control of the Senate and Republicans led by Trump handpicked lost the vote. As of Tuesday night, with votes still being counted, Republicans are certain to take control of the House, but by a much smaller margin than initially anticipated.
About 180 miles away, in Orlando, Florida, several Republican governors on Tuesday expressed concern about Trump’s long-term influence on the party and questioned his decision to run for president again. he.
“He is doing it from defense, out of opportunity and his own weakness. He’s not at a high point right now. He’s at a low point,” New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu told the Washington Post on the sidelines of a meeting of the Republican Governors Association. “He announced he was running for president at the lowest point of his political career. I don’t know how that’s going to turn out, man.”
After last week’s midterm elections, many national Republicans and prominent donors called for Trump to step down in favor of a newer, younger candidate: Ron DeSantis, governor of the state. Florida, who was re-elected this month by 19 points in the state. that Trump had won just 3.4 points two years earlier.
Several polls conducted since the midterm elections have shown that while Trump still enjoys the support of a significant portion of Republican voters, shares of DeSantis have risen in the past two weeks. party bases.
Trump didn’t hesitate to hurl stones at DeSantis, whom he now nicknames “Ron DeSanctimonious.” But DeSantis, who has yet to announce his candidacy, has so far declined when asked to respond to the former president’s attacks.
“One of the things I learned in this job is that when you lead, when you get the job done, you take on the fire. That’s just the nature of it,” DeSantis told reporters in Fort Walton Beach, on the Florida panhandle, on Tuesday, shortly before Trump’s announcement.
He added: “We focus on results and leadership. “At the end of the day, I just tell everyone to look at the transcript from last Tuesday night.”
