Trump signals he might run for US presidential election 2024
NEW YORK: Donald Trump has strongly indicated that he might run for the 2024 US presidential election, claiming that "everyone" wants him to contest the polls once again, a decision he said will make a "couple of people unhappy."
The 76-year-old Republican leader who has still not conceded defeat in the 2020 US presidential election to his Democratic Party rival Joe Biden, asserted that "we didn't lose."
In an interview to NDTV news channel at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, the former president said, "Everyone wants me to run, I'm leading in the polls. I'll make a decision in the very near future, I suspect. And I think that a lot of people are going to be very happy."
"I think so. A lot of people will be (happy); and a couple of people will be unhappy," he said without naming those who won't be pleased with his decision to seek another term in the White House in 2024.
While not acknowledging Biden's win and his inauguration as the 46th US President in January 2021, Trump himself has spread unproven allegations of electoral fraud in key US states, despite repeated pushback from election officials and judges in several court cases.
Replying to a question on the recent FBI raids at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on charges that he had taken away official secret files when he left the White House in 2021, Trump alleged that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) planted the recovered files there, calling it an attempt to weaponise the government.
"They put (the recovered secret documents) there. It's a set up. It's weaponisation. And it's inappropriate to do and it's a bad thing for our country. And this is like Russia, Russia, Russia, and the Mueller report and all of the hoaxes that we've had to go through and it's become standard American politics and it's a disgrace," he said.
Last month, the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, the residence of the former president in Palm Beach, Florida, and reportedly recovered several classified documents related to national security interests.
"It was a terrible thing. And frankly, that's had a big impact on the population. But that was a terrible thing that they did. Raiding my home was a terrible thing. And I think it's, it's boomeranged and very negatively on them," Trump said.
Trump said he was not in Florida when he heard of the raids. "When I heard about it, I said 'that's strange'. And it was strange. And it was very strange to the public also, to the American people, because they were not happy with it. And if you look at the result of that, you can see that they were not happy. They're very angry about it," he said.
Trump also downplayed speculation about his 40-year-old daughter Ivanka being the possible vice presidential pick for the 2024 presidential run.
"Ivanka? My daughter? Never thought of that one. I've never even heard but that's an Interesting idea. No, I wouldn't (consider it). Not my daughter," he said.