(RepublicanInformer.com)- Former President Donald Trump has been alluding to those close to him that he wants to announce his bid for president in 2024 sooner rather than later.
Now, it seems that when he decides to make that announcement public, he wants to do it at a prominent location in Ron DeSantis’ state of Florida.
Rolling Stone recently published a report that said sources close to Trump say the former president is considering holding a flashy rally that would announce that he’s running for president in 2024 before the midterm elections even happen later this year.
Trump also has his eyes on Florida for the location of the announcement as a way to show DeSantis how dominant he is. DeSantis, the popular governor of Florida, has been mentioned as a likely GOP candidate for president in 2024 — possibly even if Trump does decide to run.
If both candidates throw their hat in the ring, it’s likely they will have fiery campaigns against each other as the two early frontrunners for the GOP nomination.
One source that Rolling Stone talked to said the motivation for Trump holding the announcement rally in Florida is to show DeSantis “who the boss is” in today’s Republican Party.
Some people close to Trump have said the former president has asked around to see if anyone had suggestions for a venue where he could hold the announcement party that would be close to the Governor’s Mansion, which is in Tallahassee.
As one of the sources explained:
“One time that he did bring up the Florida [launch] scenario was quickly followed by him commenting on how terrible DeSantis was at public speaking and commanding an audience … [and that he’s] lacking in so much charisma and he’s so boring that Florida Republicans would leave Ron immediately for Trump [in a 2024 matchup].”
While Trump and DeSantis have long been seen as on the same page, that has seemingly changed over the last few months as DeSantis’ popularity has grown nationwide. That has apparently spooked Trump a bit, causing him to maneuver early to create separate between him and his potential challenger in the 2024 GOP primary.
Trump hasn’t announced his intentions for the 2024 election public just yet, but he has privately told many of those close to him that he wants to run again, and wants to face off directly against President Joe Biden.
Many of those who are close to Trump have encouraged him to hold off on announcing his election campaign until after the midterm elections are over.
One of the biggest factors in this is that once Trump officially announces his candidacy, campaign finance laws dictate that he’ll no longer be able to take advantage of many of the benefits they’re enjoying now from a financial and fundraising perspective, since he’s not a candidate.
In other words, some of those closest to Trump believe he should continue to fundraise with not as many restrictions now, and then make his announcement public after the midterms to rake in as much as he possibly can.
