IN a rambling speech, former President Donald J trump announced that he would seek another term, ignoring Republicans' concerns that he was to blame for the party's weak midterm showing.
Mr Trump, whose historically divisive presidency shook the pillars of the country's democratic institutions, launched his presidential campaign at Mar-a-Lago, his residence and private resort in Florida.
The former president declared his intention to seek the White House again in 2024, brushing aside appeals of Republicans who warn that his continued influence on the party is largely to blame for its weaker-than-expected showing in the midterm elections.
Media reports say that his unusually early announcement was motivated in part by a calculation that a formal candidacy may help shield him from multiple investigations into his attempts to cling to power after his 2020 defeat, which led to the deadly mob attack by his supporters on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
MR Trump's haste to become a candidate again carries political risk and financial encumbrance, and some advisers had pushed for him to hold off. But he has been eager to announce a campaign since this summer and nearly did so at a rally last week on election eve and told some advisers that he was concerned another delay would signal weakness.
The twice-impeached former president's view, according to friends and advisers, is that a formal White House bid will bolster his claims that the multiple state and federal investigations he faces are all politically motivated.
In his address, Mr Trump gave an exaggerated picture of his accomplishments before announcing his candidacy. He quickly fell back into his typical rally fare, full of false statements, inflammatory discussion of immigration and crime, and nods to right-wing culture-war issues.
Notably, he did not dwell on his 2020 election loss, though he called for an elimination of all early voting, absentee voting and electronic voting machines. 'Only paper ballots,' he said.
And he repeatedly expressed grievance over the ongoing investigations into him and his family, denouncing the FBI search of his property to retrieve documents, among other inquiries. 'I'm a victim,' Mr. Trump told the crowd bluntly.
He ended his speech after 63 minutes and his crowd responded with resounding applause. Mr Trump left the stage to Sam & Dave's song 'Hold On, I'm Coming.'
'We will make America wealthy again,' he said as he concluded. 'We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. We will make America glorious again. And we will make America great again.'
SeaNews Turkey
Mr Trump, whose historically divisive presidency shook the pillars of the country's democratic institutions, launched his presidential campaign at Mar-a-Lago, his residence and private resort in Florida.
The former president declared his intention to seek the White House again in 2024, brushing aside appeals of Republicans who warn that his continued influence on the party is largely to blame for its weaker-than-expected showing in the midterm elections.
Media reports say that his unusually early announcement was motivated in part by a calculation that a formal candidacy may help shield him from multiple investigations into his attempts to cling to power after his 2020 defeat, which led to the deadly mob attack by his supporters on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
MR Trump's haste to become a candidate again carries political risk and financial encumbrance, and some advisers had pushed for him to hold off. But he has been eager to announce a campaign since this summer and nearly did so at a rally last week on election eve and told some advisers that he was concerned another delay would signal weakness.
The twice-impeached former president's view, according to friends and advisers, is that a formal White House bid will bolster his claims that the multiple state and federal investigations he faces are all politically motivated.
In his address, Mr Trump gave an exaggerated picture of his accomplishments before announcing his candidacy. He quickly fell back into his typical rally fare, full of false statements, inflammatory discussion of immigration and crime, and nods to right-wing culture-war issues.
Notably, he did not dwell on his 2020 election loss, though he called for an elimination of all early voting, absentee voting and electronic voting machines. 'Only paper ballots,' he said.
And he repeatedly expressed grievance over the ongoing investigations into him and his family, denouncing the FBI search of his property to retrieve documents, among other inquiries. 'I'm a victim,' Mr. Trump told the crowd bluntly.
He ended his speech after 63 minutes and his crowd responded with resounding applause. Mr Trump left the stage to Sam & Dave's song 'Hold On, I'm Coming.'
'We will make America wealthy again,' he said as he concluded. 'We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. We will make America glorious again. And we will make America great again.'
SeaNews Turkey