Former President Donald Trump kicked off his 2024 White House bid with political rallies in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
While Trump has spent the months since making the announcement largely ensconced at his Florida club and nearby golf course, his aides insist they’ve been busy.
His campaign has opened a branch in Palm Beach, Florida, and has been hiring. And in recent weeks, sponsors have reached out to political operatives and elected officials to secure Trump’s support at a time when other Republicans are preparing their own candidacies.
In New Hampshire, Trump touted his campaign agenda, including immigration and crime. He said that his policies would be the opposite of those of President Joe Biden. He cited the Democrats’ decision to change the electoral calendar, which cost New Hampshire its first primary berth, and accused Biden, who finished fifth in New Hampshire in 2020, of “shamefully trashing this beloved tradition.” politics”.
“I hope they remember that during the general election,” Trump told party members. Trump himself won the primaries twice, but he lost the state each time to the Democrats.
Later, in South Carolina, he said he planned to keep the state’s presidential primary the “first in the South” and called it “a very important state.”
In his speech, he went from criticizing Biden and Democrats to disparaging comments about transgender people, mocking people who promote electric stoves and cars, and recalling efforts while serving as president to increase production. of oil.
While Trump remains the only stated presidential candidate for 2024, potential challengers, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, are expected to United, begin your campaigns. in the coming months.
Trump’s team has had trouble winning the support of South Carolina lawmakers, including some who previously supported him. Some have said that more than a year after the primary vote is too soon to make endorsements or that they are waiting to see who else enters the race.
Others have said it is time for the party to promote a new generation of leadership.
