It's official: Trump will run for president again

After much anticipation, it is finally official: former president Donald Trump announced he would run for president once again.

On the evening of November 16, Trump announced that he would seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Trump delivered his concession speech to a crowd at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he promised MAGA supporters he would return America to greatness.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump told the excited crowd.

By Trump's standards, the speech, which lasted more than an hour, was rather restrained; however, it was filled with dubious claims about his fantastic achievements during his four years as president.

Naturally, he compared his accomplishments in office with Biden's. In addition, Donald told his supporters that if Republicans want to win back the White House, he is the best choice, "a politician or conventional candidate" simply won't do.

Donald Trump's announcement came after much speculation on whether he would run in 2024. However, in the months prior to and during the midterm elections, it became more obvious what the former president's intentions were.

At a rally in Iowa on November 3, 2022, Donald Trump spoke about his intentions: “In order to make our country successful and safe and glorious, I will very, very, very probably do it again...Get ready, that’s all I’m telling you. Very soon. Get ready.”

Mr. Trump's enthusiasm for running for president goes far beyond an interest in being president once again.

Trump's new campaign could protect him from various criminal investigations he is currently facing, including his actions that led to the January 6 Capitol Riot.

The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian have reported that some of Donald Trump's advisers have told him that running for president while under investigation could, in fact, benefit him.

If the U.S. Justice Department were to indict Trump while he is a presidential candidate, it might muffle political messages from the opposition.

According to the New York Times, Donald Trump's core team for the campaign will most likely be small, partly due to the difficulty of adding staff due to the strife surrounding the former president.

Team members are expected to come from the Maga Inc political action committee, which Mr. Trump created not long ago. NYT reports that members of Maga Inc were told if they joined, they could form a part of Donald Trump's campaign staff.

According to The Guardian, Maga Inc personnel that are anticipated to play essential roles in Mr. Trump's presidential campaign include senior strategist Chris LaCivita, veteran pollster Tony Fabrizio and the Maga Inc executive director Taylor Budowich, who is also the primary spokesperson for Trump.

One can't help but wonder, though, do Republicans really want Donald Trump as their president again?

Trump pollster John McLaughlin told The Wall Street Journal: "I don't think there's any question—it's his nomination for the asking."

McLaughlin continued, "The Republican base has not moved on from Trump. Every day in hindsight, he looks better and better among those voters."

GOP strategist Mike DuHaime spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the Republicans that aren't thrilled about having Donald Trump run for president again.

DuHaime said, "The question as to whether or not he is good for the party was already answered in 2018 and 2020," in reference to the electoral losses Republicans suffered when Trump was in office.

DuHaime continued, "While there's no shame in losing a presidential race, he doesn't seem to know that and is determined to prove he's not a loser."

There is also the question of finances, does Trump have enough financial backing to run for president once again? The answer here is simple, yes, Donald Trump has been raising money without stopping ever since he left office.

According to NPR, Donald Trump's Save America committee had access to around $70 million as of October. Trump then transferred $20 million of that money on to his recently formed political-action committee, Make America Great Again Inc. Donald Trump could easily transfer more money from the Save America committee to MAGA Inc to further his campaign goals.

Regardless of all his problems with the law and with Republicans who feel he has sullied the image of the party, Donald Trump is currently clearly in the lead as the next Republican presidential candidate.

But hot on his tail is the much younger Ron DeSantis, who consistently comes in as number two in the polls. DeSantis has already built a strong reputation for himself as a man who isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes is right.

From battling the Biden administration on Covid-19 policies and corporations such as Walt Disney Co. on cultural issues, making him very popular with far-right Republicans, much to Donald Trump's dismay.

The Wall Street Journal points out that the last successfully defeated former president to rebound was Grover Cleveland in 1892. If Donald Trump is re-elected as president, he would be the first former president to make a comeback in modern times.