President Trump

The former president spoke to Republican Party activists in New Hampshire and South Carolina amid signs that some are eager for Ron DeSantis to run.

Both Trump and his team seemed eager on Saturday to get back to the hustle and bustle of his time in the White House, and there were signals he has kept his same habits. And that ethos, according to an adviser, extends to how Trump will approach fundraising with a focus on small-dollar donations over big donor events. Maybe he’s lost his step,’” Trump said at a meeting of the New Hampshire Republican Party. Trump said DeSantis, who has been openly skeptical about government efforts to vaccinate people against the virus, “promoted the vaccine as much as anyone.” He praised governors who did not close down their states, noting that DeSantis ordered the closure of beaches and business in some parts of the state. Trump was joined Saturday by some familiar faces from his White House days, including social media guru Dan Scavino, political director Brian Jack, and Jason Miller, as well as his campaign’s new top lieutenants, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita. “I don’t think we have competition this time either, to be honest,” he said. and come across more balanced and more reasonable.” But Trump himself brushed off concerns that he is in danger of not securing the nomination. “I’m the one that chose him.” Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to jump into the race. But Haley may be only a modest challenge for Trump going forward. “She called me and said she’d like to consider it.

Speech to Republicans in New Hampshire as ex-president becomes first to hit the 2024 campaign trail.

He predicts that DeSantis will be the Republican nominee in 2024. “DeSantis is so far ahead of where Barack Obama was against Hillary Clinton [in the Democratic primary in 2007] because that’s the closest parallel.” Frank Luntz, a pollster who has advised numerous Republican campaigns, takes the opposite view from Wilson: he believes that Trump is all washed up. Rick Wilson, a cofounder of the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group, believes that Saturday’s events will put pressure on rival candidates to show their hand. Despite the advice of many Republicans to move on from his “big lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from him, he could not resist an early swipe. We’re going to end up with a with a less exciting primary than people think.” He entered the New Hampshire event to the sound of singer Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and began with his customary dubious claim that there were thousands of people outside the packed venue. He also claimed he would seek to criminalise the action of future presidents who took a less hardline approach to immigration. In New Hampshire, Republican Governor Chris Sununu has said he is having conversations about a primary bid, and many high-ranking Republicans there – including those who supported Trump previously – say publicly they are looking for an alternative. But the former president casually denied that he faces serious competition in the primary. Both events contrasted sharply with the rollicking rallies in which Trump tends to thrive, suggesting an effort to show Republicans that he can be a more disciplined and conventional politician when he chooses. He championed “gas stoves” and “gas cars” over their electric counterparts.

The events in early-voting states mark the first campaign appearances since he announced his latest run more than two months ago.

Maybe he's lost that step,'" Mr Trump said at the New Hampshire GOP's annual meeting in Salem, his first event. His political life was over." He had no chance. Later in South Carolina, Mr Trump said he planned to keep the state's presidential primary as the "first in the South" and called it "a very important state". In New Hampshire, Mr Trump promoted his campaign agenda, including immigration and crime, and said his policies would be the opposite of President Joe Biden's. - In New Hampshire, Mr Trump said his policies would be the opposite of President Joe Biden's

The former president addressed the sluggish start to his campaign in which he has been largely hidden away in his Florida club.

Trump announced that Stepanek will serve as senior adviser for his campaign in the state. Trump’s campaign, in its early stages, has already drawn controversy, most particularly when he had dinner with Holocaust-denying white nationalist Nick Fuentes and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who had made a series of antisemitic comments. The South Carolina event was in some ways off-brand for a onetime reality television star who typically favours big rallies and has tried to cultivate an outsider image. Others have said it is time for the party to move past Trump to a new generation of leadership. In New Hampshire, Trump promoted his campaign agenda, including immigration and crime, and said his policies would be the opposite of President Joe Biden’s. Rallies are expensive, and Trump added new financial challenges when he decided to begin his campaign in November — far earlier than many had urged. “I hope you’re going to remember that during the general election,” Trump told party members. Maybe he’s lost that step,’” Trump said at the New Hampshire GOP’s annual meeting in Salem, his first event. “He’s going to have to do what he wants to do, but he may run. But Gerri McDaniel, who worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign, rejected the idea that voters were ready to move on from the former president. His campaign opened a headquarters in Palm Beach, Florida, and has been hiring staff. No, he’s not,” she said.

The former president is trying to quell doubts over his momentum at smaller events, his first since announcing his re-election bid.

To be sure, Mr Trump retains a significant base of support, particularly among the grassroots. Since launching his campaign in November, Mr Trump has maintained a relatively low profile. In Columbia, Mr Trump spoke to about 200 attendees, with Governor Henry McMaster and US Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina flanking him. Many high-ranking Republicans in New Hampshire, where Mr Trump’s 2016 victory confirmed his status as a top contender, say they are looking for an alternative. Senator Scott and others have cited scheduling conflicts. In contrast to the raucous rallies in front of thousands of devotees that Mr Trump often holds, Saturday’s events were comparatively muted.