Outgoing President Donald Trump hinted during a Christmas party at the White House that he will run for president again in 2024, after losing the November election to Joe Biden, local media reported Wednesday.
His comment, recorded on Tuesday on video by one of the party’s attendees and circulating on social networks this Wednesday, is his clearest sign yet that he plans to seek a second term once Biden’s first four years in office are over.
“It’s been an incredible four years (since I’ve been in the White House). We’re trying to have another four years. If that’s not possible, I’ll see you in four years,” Trump said, to the cheers of those in attendance.
Trump was referring to his frustrated legal strategy to reverse the election result and his refusal to formally recognize Biden’s victory, but also to growing rumors that he will be running for the White House in 2024.
Asked about this during a press conference Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany simply indicated that Trump’s reelection campaign still has active litigation in Wisconsin and Nevada.
“That’s what we’re focused on at the moment,” McEnany said, although there is no longer any possibility of reversing the election result, as Trump would need to win in several states that have already certified Biden’s victory.
According to NBC News and The Daily Beast, Trump is considering holding an event on the same day as Biden’s inauguration, January 20, 2021, to promote a possible new presidential campaign in 2024.
It is also possible that Trump will make the announcement before that date, as he has told his advisors that he wants to reveal it shortly after the Electoral College certifies Biden’s victory on Dec. 14, according to NBC News.
A new presidential campaign would allow Trump to extend and strengthen his hold on the Republican Party, although it is unclear whether other conservative leaders with aspirations to reach the White House – such as former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley or Vice President Mike Pence himself – would put their wishes aside to give him a free hand.
Trump has been reluctant to publicly state whether he will attend Biden’s inauguration, although according to NBC News, he has no plans to do so.
