Former President Donald Trump is expected to launch his third presidential campaign on Nov. 14, according to multiple reports. But the announcement may hinge on the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections, which some projections show will swing the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate to his Republican Party.
News that the one-time reality TV star is expected to kick off his 2024 campaign this month came while Trump was holding a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, via Axios on Thursday night.
CNN flashed a headline about the report during live coverage of the 45th president’s speech at the rally, which was ostensibly held in support of Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley’s midterm campaign. He is scheduled to hold three more rallies for GOP candidates in the coming days as polls suggest Republicans will fare well in Tuesday’s vote.
“In order to make our country successful and safe and glorious, I will very, very, very probably do it again,” Trump said of a 2024 presidential bid in his speech. “Very, very, very, probably.”
The crowd erupted in applause and chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!”
“Get ready — that’s all I’m telling you,” Mr. Trump said. “Very soon.”
Trump is scheduled to appear in three battleground states before Election Day: Pennsylvania on Saturday night, Florida on Sunday and in Ohio on Monday.
Trump advisors told The New York Times that no final decisions have been made and the embattled former president could change his mind about the date, especially if the Georgia Senate race in which Republican and former NFL-er Herschel Walker and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock goes to a run-off, Axios reported. That run-off would be slated for Dec. 6.
Any announcement will likely be followed by a blitz of campaign events, according to Axios, and allies of the former president are blocking out days for potential travel and rallies.
This week, Trump filed suit in a Florida court to try to stop New York State Attorney General Letitita James from obtaining records about his new “Trump Organization 2.” He is also facing a subpoena from the Jan. 6 Committee, and multiple other lawsuits and investigations, including one in Georgia over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
