Following the Republicans’ lacklustre midterms results, attention has begun to turn to Donald Trump’s much-anticipated 2024 campaign announcement.
After repeatedly hinting that he would make a third bid for the presidency as he campaigned for Republican candidates — many of whom performed underwhelmingly during the midterms — Mr Trump confirmed on Thursday that he would be holding a “special announcement.”
Follow live updates on the Trump announcement on our live blog.
The strategy has been largely criticised by Republicans, with mounting reports that leaders in the party have unsuccessfully begged Mr Trump to hold off on the announcement.
Still, Mr Trump plans to go through with his plans during a primetime announcement on Tuesday.
Here’s everything we know about the anticipated announcement:
What time is Trump expected to make his ‘special announcement’?
The former president’s event will take place at 9pm EST on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago Club.
What is Trump announcing?
Jason Miller, a longtime adviser to Trump, told former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon on Friday that he had spoken with Trump and he “of course” planned to run for president in 2024. Mr Miller added that Trump was “fired up” about the race.
“President Trump is going to announce on Tuesday that he’s running for president. And it’s going to be a very professional, very buttoned-up announcement,” Mr Miller said.
Mr Miller said that “all details are covered” and 1,000 people are expected to attend. He also noted that “already 250 cameras have requested access.”
“They’re building additional risers to make sure that they have the overflow capacity,” Mr Miller continued. “So people are wondering, ‘Hey, this is coming very quick.’ These guys are pros, these guys are ready to go. I personally did the checklist with them this morning. That’s going to be fine.”
Where can the announcement be streamed?
According to Mr Miller, more than 250 cameras have requested access to the event, meaning that national channels will likely stream it.
The cable network C-SPAN, which televises high-profile proceedings of the federal government, has already created an online streaming link for the event here.
The Independent will also stream Mr Trump’s remarks live on Facebook and Twitter.
Why is the GOP asking Trump to hold off on the announcement?
Republican leaders have reportedly asked Trump to hold off on his announcement, at least until a Senate runoff takes place between Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia.
The run-off will take place on 6 December.
Re-elected New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu openly criticised Trump’s strategy during a radio interview.
“He stands to potentially muck up the opportunity for [Herschel] Walker to win in Georgia in his runoff,” Mr Sununu said on Friday, per The Hill. “I think what the former president doesn’t understand is if he announces … he’s not going to keep anyone out of the race.”
He continued: “But no one else is going to announce until summer or fall for a whole variety of fundraising reasons and all of this. So it’s going to be a very awkward thing with only him in the race.”
Former White House Press Secretary and Fox contributor Kayleigh McEnany also voiced concerns about a potential presidential announcement on an edition of Outnumbered last week.
“I know there’s a temptation to start talking about 2024. No, no, no, no, no,” Ms McEnany said. “2022 is not over. Every Republican energy needs to go to grinding the Biden agenda to a halt, and that could go straight through the state of Georgia.”
Who could be Trump’s biggest rival during the Republican primaries?
Mr Trump has voiced concerns that re-elected Florida governor Ron DeSantis is “playing games” by not shutting down speculation about his possible run for the presidency in 2024.
In an unhinged statement via TruthSocial on Thursday, Trump charged at the GOP firebrand, baselessly claiming that he saved DeSantis’s 2018 campaign, and most recently had dispatched the FBI to protect DeSantis from defeat in key counties where electoral fraud supposedly was taking place.
Republicans lost the Senate and are expected to control the House only by a narrow margin after predicting a red wave in the midterms that did not materialise.
Mounting media coverage and reports from Republican leaders point to Mr DeSantis as one of the most prominent figures in the party and a likely strong candidate for the Republican primaries.
Mr DeSantis has not confirmed whether he plans to run for president.
