By announcing early, Trump believed he would clear the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and avoid being impeached, but the decision backfired on him.
The early announcement — which advisers said was planned in part to purge the field of potential challengers and help Trump move forward with a potential indictment — appears to have failed or backfired on both fronts. Instead of declining to run against Trump, a crowd of other Republicans have become more vocal about their potential moves to challenge him for the nomination.
Trump’s official announcement of his candidacy prompted Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel to oversee federal criminal investigations centering around the former president in his campaign’s efforts to field fraudulent voters in 2020 and in the mishandling of sensitive government secrets in Mar-a-Lago.
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Trump has not held any rallies since the announcement. It seems like it doesn’t have a campaign team or platform to run on. Trump declared because he incorrectly believed that with his 2024 candidacy he could avoid indictment by the Justice Department, but there is no policy about nominees not being indicted.
Attorney General Garland appointed Special Counsel Jack Smith as a direct response to Trump’s nomination. Donald Trump may have made the situation worse by announcing his candidacy early.
Rather than freeze the Republican presidential field, Trump showed his vulnerability by getting in early and letting the rest of the field sit and wait for Trump to either face or be indicted.
Trump’s entire strategy turns out to be wrong and could speed up the impeachment process and strengthen opposition to his candidacy.
Jason is the Managing Editor. He is also the White House press reporter and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
