Back in Washington, Trump plays the idea of ​​running again in 2024

Donald Trump, returning to Washington for the first time since his turbulent exit from the White House, gave a speech worthy of being a campaign candidate on Tuesday, appearing to flirt with the idea of ​​running for re-election.

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At the invitation of the American Policy First Institute, a think tank run by his allies, the 76-year-old billionaire presented a plan of action to the Republican president who will return to the White House in 2024.

For more than an hour and a half, he resumed his favorite topics – notably combating immigration and crime – while sharply attacking his successor, Joe Biden, accused of “Kneeling the United States”.

After painting a harrowing picture of the country, he slipped: “The story isn’t over yet as we prepare for an amazing comeback, we have no other choice.”

In January 2021, the former real estate mogul left power with his head bowed, two weeks after the Capitol was attacked by hundreds of his supporters.

Since then, he has not set foot in the federal capital, while he has remained at the center of the attention of a parliamentary investigation committee responsible for shedding light on his role in this attack that shocked the whole world.

The latter has just organized a series of well-attended public hearings that have lifted the veil on its maneuvers to stay in power.

In response to a question the same day on NBC, Attorney General Merrick Garland did not rule out the possibility of Donald Trump being impeached.

“We intend to hold to account all those who bear criminal responsibility for (their role) in the events of January 6, in any attempt to interfere with the legal transfer of authority from one administration to another,” he said.

On Tuesday, Donald Trump responded that “everything,” the committee has “only thugs and hackers.” With a smile on his face, he added, “They want to reach me so I can’t work for you anymore, but I don’t think it will work.”

“Four more years,” they then chanted in the room praising him, pointing to a possible new term.

Chance By the calendar, former Vice President Mike Pence was also visiting Washington on Tuesday, where he used a speech to young conservatives to outline his disagreement with Donald Trump.

“We don’t agree on priorities,” he said, laying out a program focused on fighting abortion and protecting the right to bear arms and religious freedoms.

Added this Christian conservative who criticizes the former president for devoting too much time to challenging the outcome of the 2020 election.

Donald Trump has never conceded defeat. Evoking, without any evidence, “widespread electoral fraud”, he devoted most of his two-year public interventions to denouncing “stolen elections”.

However, that speech was postponed on Tuesday. “I always say I ran once and won, then ran again and won more votes,” he said.

Before you add, “I might have to do this a third time!” , promising “details” in the coming weeks.

Donald Trump maintains a central position with Republicans. He appears to have retained a core of loyal supporters, which would put him center stage should he decide to seek the nomination.

But critics are damaging his image, allowing his rivals — like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — to gain ground.

Nearly half of Republicans who vote in the primaries would prefer someone other than Donald Trump, according to a recent New York Times and Siena College poll.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal and New York Post, which are owned by the influential Murdoch family, published editorials criticizing Donald Trump’s behavior on January 6, 2021.

However, his speech was followed at the highest level. “You might say I’m old fashioned, but I don’t think inciting the mob to attack police officers shows ‘respect for the law,'” Joe Biden wrote on Twitter.

“If you’re pro-insurrection, you can’t be pro-police, pro-democracy or pro-American,” continued the 79-year-old president, who could also run for a second term in 2024.