As was highlighted Thursday afternoon, former President Donald Trump hinted pretty heavily he's running again in 2024, through several SAVE America PAC statements highlighting polls where he is ahead against President Joe Biden in a hypothetical rematch and in the Republican primary. Another, even more clear indication came later that night, during a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, as Brett Samuels highlighted at The Hill.
"I will very, very, very probably do it again, OK? Very, very, very probably," Trump said while at the rally. "Get ready. That’s all I’m telling you. Very soon. Get ready. Get ready."
That same day, Kellyanne Conway had said at a Christian Science Monitor Event that she expects Trump to announce "soon." She did say "I give him a ton of credit for not announcing this year, for not stepping in the way of midterm candidates."
Amidst the chatter that Trump would run again, many wondered if he would announce ahead of the midterm elections, of which there were strong, mixed feelings about. Some feared that by Trump announcing before ballots were cast would make this year's election about him, when it's typically a referendum on the party in power, in this case the Democrats in control of the House, Senate, and with Biden in the White House.
More specifics came in the form of an Axios report Friday morning from Jonathan Swan, who shared that November 14, the Monday after Election Day, may be when the announcement comes. He cites "three sources familiar with the sensitive discussions."
From the report:
Why it matters: Trump and his top advisers have been signaling for weeks that a 2024 announcement is imminent. But those discussions have reached the point that allies are blocking off days in their calendars for the week after the midterms — and preparing to travel.
What we're hearing: With polls pointing toward a good night for Republicans on Tuesday, Trump plans to surf the GOP's expected post-midterm euphoria to build momentum for his own effort to retake the White House.
Swan does caution, though, that the announcement date could change, especially depending on which way the Senate goes, including with whether or not the race between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Herschel Walker goes to a runoff.
Trump isn't the only candidate whom people are watching to see what he will do after the midterms. There's pressure on Biden, too. Despite insistence that he would run, the president himself suggested during a "60 Minutes" interview from September that it was possible he would not. "Will he or won’t he? Pressure mounts on Biden for post-midterm decision," read Amie Parnes headline for The Hill on Sunday.
As Stephen L. Miller pointed out on Thursday night over Twitter, such pressure is getting even stronger.
Me in July https://t.co/EoelmprSJa
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) November 4, 2022
When it comes to the Iowa rally, where special guests included Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley, both who are running for reelection, Trump hinting at 2024 wasn't the only thing some thought worth noting.
As our friends at Twitchy highlighted, Aaron Rupar thought it was tweet-worthy that there were "lots of white people" there. He tweeted a whole thread, of equally irrelevant commentary, including at one point "lolwut."
lots of white people at the Trump rally in Sioux City pic.twitter.com/MXd4Nduw9t
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 4, 2022
There were "lots of white people" present it turns out, since they make up an overwhelming majority of ethnicities in the state.
BREAKING: White people live in Iowa pic.twitter.com/yabZH772t3
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 4, 2022
In concluding his thread, Rupar even claimed that "that was one of the most boring Trump rally speeches i can remember," which will end up making him look pretty foolish if Trump does announce soon. He then went on to ask people to subscribe to his Substack, for what he claimed was him "live-tweeting the Trump rally."
if you do appreciate me taking one for the team tonight and live-tweeting the Trump rally, please subscribe to my newsletter. you'll probably enjoy it and it's the best way to support my work. thanks. https://t.co/g8kkcyGAdS
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 4, 2022
Trump won Iowa in 2016 and 2020, by 51.1 percent and 53.1 percent, respectively. An Emerson College poll from last month also shows that in a rematch with Biden, Trump has a plurality of support with very likely voters, at 47 percent. Thirty-nine percent would support Biden, the poll also found.
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