OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump has apparently made the decision that he will campaign again for the presidency and the announcement could be coming quicker than even his own team was prepared for.
The 45th President of the United States could make the announcement as soon as this month, The New York Times reported in a breaking story on Friday evening.
“The timing of a formal announcement from Mr. Trump remains uncertain. But he recently surprised some advisers by saying he might declare his candidacy on social media without warning even his own team, and aides are scrambling to build out basic campaign infrastructure in time for an announcement as early as this month,” The Times said.
The report said that some Republicans are concerned that an announcement before the midterms could help the Democrats use the former president as a campaign issue.
“Republicans want to win badly in 2022, and it is dawning on many of them that relitigating the 2020 election with Trump’s daily conspiracy diatribes are sure losers,” Republican strategist and former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, Dick Wadhams , said.
But there are other concerns about an announcement this far in advance of the 2024 presidential election.
“One of the most compelling arguments against an early announcement had been federal campaign finance laws. If and when Mr. Trump announces, he would be ineligible to use any of the $100 million that he has parked in his political action committee to directly support his presidential run. His campaign would also be constrained by a strict $2,900-per-person donation cap for the primaries, meaning he could tap his largest donors only once over the next period of roughly two years to directly fund a candidacy,” The Times said.
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is said to be one of the people close to the former president that is encouraging him to make the announcement sooner.
“It’s up to him if he runs or not,” he said. “But the key to him being successful is comparing his policy agenda and policy successes with what is going on today.”
Last month some said that his announcement could come as soon as the Fourth of July, NBC News reported.
Some believe he should wait until after the midterm elections to make his announcement, but others believe he should make an announcement before then to cut off any steam other possible contenders are getting.
“I’ve laid out my case on why I think he should do it,” his longtime adviser Jason Miller, said as he accompanied the former president to a rally in Wyoming over Memorial Day weekend. “I think that there being clarity about what his intentions are [is important] so he can start building that operation while it’s still fresh in people’s minds and they’re still active — a lot of that can be converted into 2024 action.”
Another adviser who believes that Trump should wait until after the midterms said that he believes the announcement is going to be “sooner rather than later.”
The adviser said that one question is “whether he can sort of suppress his excitement about a 2024 rematch and not, say, go ahead and put that statement out … and waits for a big event, a big speech to do it.”
“A betting person says he’s doing it, and he also wants to crowd out the rest of the field,” they said.
Two people in Trump’s orbit told NBC News they had been asked informally to hold July 4 as a date for a possible announcement, but Miller — noting that Trump hasn’t yet decided to run — said it is “not true” that the day has been reserved, even unofficially, for a launch.
Without specifically addressing the question of timing, Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said in a text exchange with NBC News that he sees growing public appetite for a Trump comeback.
“America was strong, prosperous, and greatly respected under President Trump, and that’s why he continues to have unprecedented strength through his endorsement record and the demand for his leadership has never been higher,” the spokesman said.
