Former President Donald Trump said he has made his decision about whether to run in 2024.
In an interview with the New York Magazine published on July 14, the 45th president disclosed that he has already made up his mind on that issue, but the “big decision” is the timing of the announcement.
“Well, in my own mind, I’ve already made that decision, so nothing factors in anymore. In my own mind, I’ve already made that decision,” he told the outlet.
“I would say my big decision will be whether I go before or after,” Trump said, indicating that he is undecided on whether to announce before or after the 2022 midterm elections.
He said there were “certain assets” in announcing the decision before the midterms.
“Let people know. I think a lot of people would not even run [for 2024] if I did that because, if you look at the polls, they don’t even register. Most of these people. And I think that you would actually have a backlash against them if they ran. People want me to run,” Trump said.
“I feel very confident that, if I decide to run, I’ll win,” he added.
Trump’s comments come as the latest in a series of hints to the public about a 2024 run, despite not having officially announced his decision.
“I ran twice, I won twice … And now with the approval of the great people of Alaska, we may have to do it again,” Trump said in a July 9 rally in Alaska, noting that he received “many millions more votes” in 2020 than he did in 2016 when he defeated Hillary Clinton. The former president has maintained that substantial electoral fraud and irregularities had invalidated the result of the 2020 presidential election.
Despite concerns among GOP observers about what would happen if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also entered the race for 2024, a July poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College shows Trump to be nearly doubling DeSantis in terms of support among Republican respondents.
By Gary Bai
