Former President Donald Trump could announce an early presidential run to preempt attempts to prosecute him, according to multiple reports.
What Happened: Trump told his advisors that declaring that his run for the White House again would strengthen his argument that criminal investigations against him in New York and Georgia are politically motivated, reported The Guardian.
The former president told Newsmax last week that the hearings of the Jan.6 committee looking into the riots that took place on Capitol Hill ahead of President Joe Biden’s inauguration were aimed at keeping him from “running again.”
“I'm leading in all the polls," he said. "I'm leading in the Republican polls in numbers that nobody's ever even seen before, and against Biden and anybody else they run. I'm leading against them."
The New York Post reported that political consultant and author of the book “The Return: Trump’s 2024 Comeback” — Dick Morris — said he has talked with Trump dozens of times since he left office and he’s “never, for a moment, taken his eye off the ball — getting back in the White House!”
Why It Matters: Speculations that Trump could run again arise when more witnesses are expected to testify against the former President at the select committee hearing.
The Jan. 6 committee’s Vice-Chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said recently that criminal referrals to the Justice Department could follow.
The Guardian noted that while typically presidential candidates wait until midterms in November to announce their run, the presidential cycle has been stretching longer and now begins two years before the general election.
A declaration made sooner could upend plans for both major political parties, according to the Guardian.
Were Trump to run for a second term it could “complicate” attempts to charge him criminally and bolster his support within the Republican party — which has begun to erode after the Jan. 6 panel hearings, according to the report.
Photo via Joseph Sohm on Shutterstock
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