As he addressed a crowd of supporters in Robstown, Texas, former President Donald Trump drew cheers as he talked up his first two runs for the White House — and once again teased a third.
“In order to make our country successful, safe and glorious again, I will probably have to do it again,” he said last month.
That carefully placed “probably” may soon be gone from Trump’s stump speech. Aides to the former president are making quiet preparations for a 2024 presidential campaign that is expected to be launched after next week’s midterm elections.
Trump will capitalize on expected Republican wins to propel himself toward becoming the front-runner for his party’s nomination.
“I’m like 95% he’s going to run,” said Reince Priebus, Trump’s former White House chief of staff. “The real question,” he added, “is are other big challengers going to run? If President Trump runs, he will be very difficult for any Republican to defeat.”
Looming over Trump’s announcement is an inconvenient truth for supporters. The former president remains embroiled in multiple criminal investigations, including probes into classified information allegedly held at his Mar-a-Lago club and his effort to pressure election officials to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump has dismissed the investigations as political “witch hunts.”
There is no denying that Trump is eager to be back in the political game. While he has been talking up a bid since before he left the White House, aides and allies are now eyeing the two-week stretch after the Nov. 8 midterms as a window for an announcement, though they caution that he hasn’t made a decision and that — as always when it comes to Trump — things could change, particularly if the election results are delayed due to recounts or a possible runoff election in Georgia.
Indeed, even as discussions are underway about potential venues and dates for a formal announcement, Trump continues to tease the possibility of declaring his intentions at one of the rallies he’s planned for the election’s homestretch.
The preparations come as Trump has been stepping up his efforts to help midterm candidates in the election’s final weeks, hoping to piggyback off expected Republican gains in Congress to build momentum for his own campaign.
Trump has dramatically ramped up his spending in recent weeks. His newly launched MAGA Inc. super PAC has now spent more than $16.4 million on ads in a handful of competitive states, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact, with additional investments expected through Election Day, according to people familiar with the effort.
And Trump continues to hold events to bolster his candidates, with 30 rallies so far in 17 states, along with dozens of virtual rallies and more than 50 candidate fundraisers. His final midterm rally blitz will take him to Ohio and Pennsylvania, two crucial presidential voting states where his endorsements helped candidates secure their nominations.
He’ll also return to Iowa, which holds the first contest of the presidential nominating calendar.
In total, Trump’s Save America PAC says he has raised nearly $350 million this election cycle for Republican candidates and party committees, including online fundraising solicitations.
While Trump’s team has been identifying potential staff prospects in key states and drawing up paperwork to file should he move forward with an announcement, hiring has not yet commenced. Trump’s campaign, at least in its early months, is expected to remain headquartered in Florida and look much like his current political operation, overseen by the small clutch of advisers he’s fostered since leaving office, reminiscent of his famously threadbare 2016 campaign.
Chris LaCivita, the Republican strategist who was behind the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” campaign that badly damaged Democrat John Kerry’s 2004 presidential prospects, is working for Trump’s super PAC and expected to take on a senior leadership role in the campaign operation, according to people familiar with the conversations, as is Susie Wiles, the longtime Florida operative who has been overseeing his political efforts.
The 2024 campaign will effectively kick off when the polls close on Nov. 8, but Trump won’t be alone. Some potential challengers have spent months carefully laying the groundwork for their own expected campaigns. That includes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who — if he enters the race — is widely seen as Trump’s most formidable challenger and who has been cultivating a deep donor network as he runs for reelection.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Rick Scott, and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton have been aggressively stumping for midterm candidates, as have former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Trump, meanwhile, faces other challenges outside legal peril. He remains a deeply polarizing figure. And while Trump remains overwhelmingly popular among Republicans, an October AP-NORC poll claims 43% said they don’t want to see him run for president in 2024.
“I’d like to see him run again,” said 81-year-old Jane Murphy, a longtime county Republican volunteer who lives in Davenport. “He makes me angry with some of the things he says. But he gets the job done, plain and simple.”
But Carol Crain, an eastern Iowa GOP activist, voiced reservations.
“I think a lot of Republicans are just tired of the drama and the fighting,” said Crain, 73. “It’s really wearing. Under their breath, people say it would be nice if he could endorse somebody and go away with grace.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article