Several Republican operatives are reportedly on edge amid speculation that former President Donald Trump will make his 2024 presidential bid official Monday evening.
Confidants close to Trump believe he is chomping at the bit and could expedite his timetable for debuting his comeback bid to Monday night’s rally in Ohio, where he will be stumping for Republican Senate hopeful J.D. Vance and others, according to Axios reporter Jonathan Swan.
“Based calls/texts all morning, Trump/Vance rally in Ohio will be v closely watched by Rs. Speculation has reached a point of absurdity at this point but many Rs of varying degrees of closeness to Trump are anticipating accelerated announcement based on his recent private comments,” Swan tweeted.
Trump has repeatedly teased his 2024 ambitions during rallies, including Sunday night in Miami when he proclaimed he will “probably have to do it again.” Prior reporting indicated that Trump had been eyeing a campaign launch after the midterm elections and that the date in mind was Nov. 14.
Behind the scenes, some Republicans have prodded Trump to wait until after the midterm cycle to keep the focus on the GOP’s crusade to flip the House and Senate. However, a source familiar with the matter cautioned the Washington Examiner that it is unclear if Trump will expedite the timeline.
“There’s a lot of back-and-forth right now, no one really knows if it’s going to happen tonight or if it’s going to happen in a week or so. Trump himself is the one who wants to do it ASAP. No one knows right now whether it’s happening tonight or not,” the source explained.
Over the weekend, Trump took a shot at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been polling as his top rival in a hypothetical primary, bashing him as “Ron DeSanctimonious” during an event in Pennsylvania. DeSantis has been coy about his speculated presidential aspirations.
