Donald Trump has provided insights into his 2024 re-election campaign.
BY ADELAIDE PETRAS ’24
On Tuesday, Nov. 15, former President Donald Trump made a rousing speech at Mar-a-Lago Club, his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in which he announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for President of the United States,” Trump said.
In his speech, Trump made numerous criticisms of the state of the nation under President Joe Biden, claiming that the U.S. has economically and politically regressed since the end of Trump’s term. Additionally, he reminisced over his presidency, establishing his goal to revert to and continue his policies and projects.
Some of the promised actions included attempting to instate the death penalty for drug dealers, rehiring military members who had been dismissed for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and expanding the wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, among others. While he was in office, Trump cut taxes, enacted strict immigration laws and established a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. Similar values are reflected in his intentions for his future campaign.
Trump commented on the election system, believing it is “rigged and corrupt,” and argued for the use of paper ballots. However, he limited his commentary on his belief that the 2020 election was stolen. This was likely a strategic move, as Trump has previously lost considerable support over his spouting of election conspiracies.
Other criticisms of Biden made in the speech include rising gas prices, military equipment that the U.S. left in Afghanistan and the draining of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Government teacher Robert Soccorsi commented on Biden and Trump’s low approval rates.
“In most of the polls that I’ve seen, at least 50% of the public views [Trump] unfavorably,” Soccorsi said. “In fairness, though, President Biden also has anemic favorability in polls.”
By running for president in 2024, Trump will be the only president in history to run again after being impeached. He was impeached twice but never removed from office: first, in 2019, for abuse of power and obstruction of justice, and second, in 2021, for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection of the U.S. Capitol. He is still being investigated, and he has lost the support of some Republicans.
“President Trump would likely use it as a badge of honor and to try to use it to further his claim that he’s been unfairly maligned and targeted by entrenched politicians because he’s an outsider who threatens them,” Soccorsi said. “That will probably appeal to some voters, but his impeachment hurts him with other voters, including some Republicans as well as many independents who are typically necessary to win a presidential election.”
Also to Trump’s disadvantage, being elected for two non-consecutive terms is a rarity. It has only been done once before: by President Grover Cleveland in 1892.
However, according to a poll by Quinnipiac University, 62% of Republicans view Trump running for President in 2024 as a good thing. 34% of Americans in general hold this opinion.
“Right now, [Trump is] leading in most polls for the Republican nomination, but we are so far from the election, and many potential opponents have yet to even declare their candidacy, so I would not put much stock into them,” Soccorsi said.
Announcing his intentions to run for president earlier than most prospective candidates is a strategic move, with Trump hoping to stay ahead of his competitors. As of Feb. 1, Biden intends to run again in 2024 along with Vice President Kamala Harris, and former Vice President Mike Pence is predicted to run as well. Time will tell whether or not Trump’s ongoing controversies will be to his detriment and if his ambitious goals will be enough to re-earn the support of Republican voters.
“Should Trump win the Republican nomination, I think that whether he can win the general election depends largely on who his opponent would be,” Soccorsi said. “If the Democrats nominate President Biden or a candidate that’s so far to the left of the political spectrum that they won’t attract moderate voters, I think Trump would have a chance. If the Democrats nominated a moderate with competence, I think Trump would be toast.”
“Should Trump win the Republican nomination, I think that whether he can win the general election depends largely on who his opponent would be,” Soccorsi said. “If the Democrats nominate President Biden or a candidate that’s so far to the left of the political spectrum that they won’t attract moderate voters, I think Trump would have a chance. If the Democrats nominated a moderate with competence, I
think Trump would be toast.”