OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump has kept everyone guessing as to his 2024 intentions.
Recently, the 45th president dropped a big clue leading people to believe he’s gearing up for another White House run.
“It’s certainly not a very long period, the time is coming,” Trump said. “I think people are going to be very happy, our country has never been in a position like this, we’ve lost everything.”
“Our country has never been at a worse point,” said Trump. “They gave away $85 billion worth of equipment, dead soldiers, you still have Americans over there probably as hostages, eventually will be hostages, there has never been a time like this.
“We’ll be making an announcement in the not too distant future,” added Trump.
“We have to win an Earth-shattering victory in 2022,” Trump said. “Winning this election needs to be a national referendum on the horrendous catastrophes radical Democrats have inflicted on our country.”
GOP candidates must campaign on a “clear pledge” that they can “shut down the border, stop the crime, the inflation, and hold the Biden administration accountable,” Trump said.
Trump teased last week that he has made his decision about the 2024 presidential election.
Speaking to hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, Trump said it would be “very hard” for him not to campaign for the presidency, presumably against President Joe Biden.
“Knowing what you know and seeing what you see of Joe Biden, how do you not run in 2024?” Travis said.
“Very hard for me not to run, to be honest,” the former president responded. “And also, the polls indicate that, from the Republican standpoint, it would be easy.”
“There are some things we just have to ask you, Mr. President. If you’re gonna announce, when are you gonna announce? Can you tell us that?” Sexton said.
“Well, if I’m gonna announce, I’ll have to make a decision, is it going to be…? You know, two words: Is it before or after? And there are reasons for both. Some very good things about earlier. There’s some very good things about later. The way I look at it is if I announce early and we do well, I’ll get credit for having done well — as much as you’ll get ’cause the press won’t give you credit anyway. If I do poorly, I’ll get absolutely… It’ll be horrible. But if I announce later and we do well, I won’t get any criticized,” he said.
“I’ll make a decision fairly soon,” he said. “And my… I must tell you — and I think I can say this — in my mind, I’ve already made the decision.”
One recent report speculated that New York Rep. Elise Stefanik is likely a frontrunner, CNN reported.
While talk about a 2024 vice-presidential pick is of course premature, conversations about adding Stefanik to a future Trump ticket have gained steam in recent weeks at Mar-a-Lago and in other Republican circles, sources said. Current and former advisers and others in Trump’s orbit have privately argued that the New York Republican, who replaced Rep. Liz Cheney as the no. 3 House Republican last year, is a fierce and loyal attack dog, and Trump would benefit from tapping a woman for vice president should he run again.
Two people familiar with the matter said Trump has been surveying close friends and allies on what they think of Stefanik, one of several Republican women he is possibly eyeing for the potential VP slot, though he has not ruled out a few male contenders, too. One of these people said the former President believes Stefanik has undergone a genuine transformation – leaving the moderate wing of the party to join its increasingly powerful “America First” flank.
“There is a part of Trump who thinks he needs a female VP. He definitely likes her, likely because of how effusive she is to him,” an adviser to the former president said.
“President Trump thinks very highly of Elise Stefanik. … She has been talked about in circles close to him as a potential vice president,” Chris Ruddy, a longtime friend of the former president, said. “And there’s a feeling among a lot of people on the Republican side that they need to have a woman on the ticket this time.”
Look at this news article from The Daily Caller: ’An Attack On All Trump Voters’: Elise Stefanik Unloads On ’Sham’ Jan. 6 Show https://t.co/kakr43kYoU
— Jack Banker (@Jabanker) July 19, 2022
A few other names have been floated recently.
