It happened.
Donald Trump, who lost the 2020 presidential election by 7 million votes and went on to deny he lost — sending a mob to attack the capital on January 6, 2021 — has decided to run again in 2024.
He made the announcement on Tuesday from his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate, confirming months of speculation that he would seek a rematch against President Joe Biden (should Biden, who is turning 80, decide to run again).
The announcement was carried live by CNN, Fox News, Newsmax, and C-SPAN, while MSNBC chose not to air it. But the lengthy speech — which clocked in at over an hour and 20 minutes — ultimately was cut off both by CNN and even Fox News, who later rejoined his speech for the final remarks.
Before 2024, Trump first has to win the Republican primaries, and with most of the GOP turning their allegiance toward his former friend turned foe, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the announcement could lead to an interesting head-to-head. Trump recently nicknamed DeSantis, “DeSanctimonious,” so their former MAGA alliance is certainly over.
Trump was impeached twice during his presidency, once in 2019 for trying to force Ukrainian President Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, and once in 2021 for the January 6 insurrection. Before running in 2016, he had no previous experience in politics but was best known to the public for hosting NBC reality TV series The Apprentice, after having inherited his father’s real estate business.
He will be the first former president to run for reelection after losing the presidency since Herbert Hoover attempted another term back in 1940. If he manages to win, he will be the second former president to return to the White House after Grover Cleveland managed to do so back in 1892.
Mike Pence, who served as vice president during the Trump administration, also recently announced he is considering running for president in 2024, in an interview on ABC.
A potential showdown between the former colleagues would certainly make for an interesting Republican primary.