Trump steps up battle of wills in announcing 2024 bid with GOP starting to doubt him

Use Spotify? Access BizNews podcasts here..Use Apple Podcasts? Access BizNews podcasts here..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.By Mark Niquette.(Bloomberg) — Donald Trump escalated his battle of wills with the Republican Party by declaring his candidacy for the White House in 2024 just as many GOP faithful are ready to abandon the former president..Defying his party's growing desire to find a new standard-bearer, Trump gathered his staunchest supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida Tuesday for a nationally televised announcement that revived many of the themes of grievance that marked his previous two campaigns.."Two years ago we were a great nation and soon we will be a great nation again," Trump said..Yet his bravado rang hollow a week after Republicans fell short of party expectations in US elections, missing a chance to retake the US Senate and win a significant majority in the House. Trump had sought to use the midterms to tighten his grip on the party ahead of his entry into the presidential race by issuing more than 280 endorsements..That gambit backfired, as Trump's favorite candidates floundered in key races with voters rejecting nearly all of those who espoused his false 2020 stolen presidential election claims. Many Republicans blame him for the lackluster performance — leaving him vulnerable to the very 2024 primary challengers he had originally hoped to box out..GOP leaders and donors are now signaling that they're eager to fall in line behind Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, a chief target of Trump's ire before Tuesday's declaration. Even his own daughter, Ivanka, who served in his first administration, suggested she had no appetite for another round. ."I do not plan to be involved in politics," she said in an Instagram post. "While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena.".The former president was lobbied by Republicans, including some of his own aides, to postpone his announcement until after the Dec. 6 Georgia US Senate run-off election featuring his handpicked candidate, Herschel Walker..But Trump left himself little wiggle room by pantomiming the Tuesday announcement on the eve of the midterms, and an about-face would risk showing further political weakness.."For any other conventional politician, it would seem like this would take the wind out of their sails," said Republican strategist Sarah Longwell, publisher of the conservative website The Bulwark who has worked to defeat Trump. "But he's never been a conventional politician.".Trump acknowledged the criticism that Republicans should have done better in the midterm elections but said it was because voters haven't yet realized the full extent of the nation's problems under President Joe Biden.."I have no doubt that by 2024, it will sadly be much worse, and they will see much more clearly what happened and what is happening to our country and the voting will be much different," Trump said..He also squarely took aim at Biden's biggest vulnerabilities: inflation and energy prices.."We will immediately tackle inflation and bring it down to a level where it was," Trump said. "Remember, economic security is national security." .The fastest inflation in 40 years looms large in a Biden economic record that has, by some measures, outperformed Trump's. US manufacturing jobs totaled 12.9 million last month, the most since 2008, part of a broader labor-market comeback that pushed employment past pre-pandemic levels. Retail gasoline prices, while still elevated, are off 25% from their high in June. .Trump made his announcement while Biden is in Bali attending the G20 summit. It also occurred as geopolitical tensions flared after Poland said that a lethal blast near its border near Ukraine was caused by a Russian-made rocket. .Biden, who has faced questions as to whether he would seek re-election, routinely signals that a rematch with Trump is especially tantalizing. .Despite being wounded, Trump, 76, still starts the race as the favorite for the GOP nomination. He is seeking to become only the second president to win another term after losing re-election since Grover Cleveland in 1892. .American flags surrounded the stage where Trump delivered his remarks. Under crystal chandeliers, televisions flashed Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, from his first campaign. Supporters were decked out in evening attire, wearing Trump campaign memorabilia. .But hours before, outside a small plane circled his property with a sign that said "You Lost Again, Donald. #DeSantis2024.".https://twitter.com/MarioDParker/status/1592625783381565443.DeSantis has emerged in straw polls as the clear second-choice of GOP primary voters behind Trump, and he elevated his 2024 prospects with a landslide re-election victory last week. That gives Trump a formidable rival within the party for the first time, said Alex Conant, a senior adviser for Senator Marco Rubio's 2016 presidential campaign. .Besides DeSantis, other potential Trump rivals who have laid the groundwork for a 2024 run include ex-vice president Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo; former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin; former Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley; Texas Senator Ted Cruz; South Carolina Senator Tim Scott; and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan..Trump faces multiple probes into his removal of classified documents from the White House, as well as his role in attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election that resulted in the Capitol insurrection. Trump and three of his children have also been sued in New York for allegedly inflating the value of his real estate company's assets..Absent in his speech Tuesday were the false stolen 2020 election claims that have been a staple of his public comments since leaving office. .New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu, who has been critical of Trump in the past, questioned the timing of Trump's announcement.."From a political standpoint, it's a pretty bad decision for him. It doesn't take much sense given he's kind of at his weakest point politically. I'm not even sure he's the front-runner." .–With assistance from Bill Allison, Gregory Korte and Laura Litvan..Read also:.Financial Times perspective: Joe Biden is still Donald Trump's worst nightmareUS midterm election takeaways: Missing Republican wave, Trump's bad night, DeSantis' winDonald Trump takes legal action against Twitter

Trump steps up battle of wills in announcing 2024 bid with GOP starting to doubt him

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