UNITED STATES – In Washington, Trump is toying with the idea of ​​running again in 2024

Donald Trump, returning to Washington for the first time since his tumultuous exit from the White House, gave a speech worthy of a campaign candidate on Tuesday, flirting with the idea of ​​running for a new term. Invited by the America First Policy Institute, a think tank run by its allies, the 76-year-old billionaire presented an action plan for a “Republican president who returns to the White House in 2024.”

For more than an hour and a half, he resumed his favorite themes — notably immigration and the fight against crime — and slammed his successor, Joe Biden, who he accused of “bringing America to its knees.” After painting an apocalyptic portrait of the country, he let slip: “The story is far from over, we’re preparing for an incredible comeback, we have no choice.”

In January 2021, the former real estate mogul bowed out of power two weeks after hundreds of his supporters stormed the Capitol. Since then, he has not set foot in the federal capital and has been at the center of attention of a parliamentary inquiry tasked with shedding light on his role in the attack that shocked the entire world. The latter has organized well-attended public hearings to peel back the veil of its machinations to stay in power.

“It’s all a system,” Donald Trump responded Tuesday, quite belligerently, saying the commission “is made up of thugs and pirates.” “They want to talk about me so I can’t work for you anymore, but I don’t think that’s going to work,” he said with a smile on his face. “Four more years,” then chanted the room, applauding him, indicating the duration of a possible new mandate.

“the third”

Calendar opportunity, his former Vice President Mike Pence visited Washington on Tuesday, where he took advantage of a speech before young conservatives to mark his differences with Donald Trump. “We disagree on priorities,” he said, launching a plan focused on the fight against abortion and the protection of the right to bear arms and religious freedom. “It is absolutely necessary not to succumb to the temptation to look back (…) and “look to the future”, added this Christian conservative, who criticizes the former president for devoting too much time to challenging the outcome of the 2020 election.

Donald Trump has never conceded defeat. He has devoted most of his public interventions over the past two years to condemning the “stolen election” without any evidence, invoking “massive electoral fraud”. However, he put the speech on hold on Tuesday. “I always run once and win, then run again and get more votes,” he said. Before adding, “I might have to do this a third time!” “Details” are promised in the coming weeks.

“The Old Game”

Donald Trump retains a prominent position with the Republican Party. He seems to have retained a core of loyal supporters, which would put him in pole position if he decides to seek the nomination. But critics hurt his image, allowing room for his rivals, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. According to a recent New York Times and Siena College poll, half of Republicans voting in the primaries would prefer someone other than Donald Trump.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, members of the influential Murdoch family, published editorials criticizing Donald Trump’s behavior on January 6, 2021. However his speech was followed at the highest level. “You may say I’m old fashioned, but I don’t believe in inciting a mob to attack police officers + respect for the law +,” Joe Biden commented on Twitter. “If you’re pro-insurgency, you can’t be pro-police, pro-democracy or pro-American,” continued the president, who could run for a second term in 2024.

AFP

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