Former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway praised the ex-president “for not stepping in the way of the midterm candidates”
Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Minden Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nevada, October 8, 2022 © Ap / Jose Luis Villegas
Donald Trump is expected to announce his entry to the 2024 race for the White House “soon,” his ex-campaign manager and consultant, Kellyanne Conway, told reporters on Thursday.
Speaking at a breakfast event in Washington, Conway said that Trump’s refusal to commit to the race already was aimed at giving Republicans space to campaign for next week’s midterm elections.
“I give him a ton of credit for not announcing this year, for not stepping in the way of the midterm candidates,” she said, claiming that “a lot of people around” Trump may have been pushing him to declare his candidacy.
“I think you can expect him to announce soon,” Conway added.
.@zac_weisz: "When will Trump announce his 2024 presidential bid?"Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls): "I give him a ton of credit for not announcing this year, for not stepping in the way of midterm candidates…I think you can expect him to announce soon." pic.twitter.com/meAxNS8h9E
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 3, 2022
Trump, who considers President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory fraudulent, has spent the year campaigning for Republican candidates, wading into primary races to boost contenders espousing his “America First” brand of populism. As the midterms draw nearer, Trump has planned campaign-style rallies in the battleground states of Iowa, Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio.
“Donald Trump has never stopped campaigning,” Conway said. “As he would say: wait and see.”
Trump himself has repeatedly dropped hints that he intends to run for office again, telling supporters that they will “be very happy” with his decision. “I ran twice. I won twice…I will probably have to do it again,” he said at a rally in Texas last month.
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Conway’s statement came on the same day that three of Trump’s former advisers told Reuters that they expect an announcement shortly after the midterms. One of these advisers stated that Trump would enter the race between the elections and Thanksgiving, which falls on November 24.
Republicans hold a three-point advantage over Democrats heading into the midterms, according to an average of 17 polls compiled by Real Clear Politics. Looking forward to 2024, polling over the last month generally shows Trump and Biden within six points of each other. A Wall Street Journal survey published on Tuesday showed the two tied at 46%.
