PALM BEACH, Florida — Former President Donald J. Trump announced his candidacy for president in front of a packed room at his Mar-a-Lago resort yesterday evening.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 45th president made the announcement amid mixed reactions from fellow conservatives following the results of the 2022 midterm election that saw many Trump-endorsed MAGA conservatives fail to win. Trump insisted that a red wave would sweep the country, with both the House and Senate returning to GOP control.
After the election, Republicans did take control of the House of Representatives again, and Democrats went back to being in the minority.
One very close race for governor in Arizona showed that people didn’t want to follow the former president and were more likely to support moderate conservatism. Kari Lake, a Trump loyalist, was defeated by Democrat Katie Hobbs. Lake went on to question the legitimacy of the Arizona election results, taking pages from the Trump playbook.
Several other leading Republicans are expected to announce their candidacies over the coming year. Former Vice President Mike Pence has been asked on separate occasions if he is considering a run for the White House. In a recent ABC “World News Tonight” interview with David Muir, Pence said he was “prayerfully considering” a presidential run. Moderate conservatives and independents who don’t agree with the “Make America Great Again” movement are looking for a strong GOP candidate as the party moves away from the former president.
