Everything We Know About Donald Trump's 2024 Campaign

When Donald Trump descended the escalator at Trump Tower in 2015, announcing his presidential campaign, few took the real estate and reality TV star seriously. His campaign seemed more like a farce than it did legitimate politics, and yet with each rally, each promise, and each inflammatory remark, Trump's support grew and grew. It came as a huge shock when Trump clinched the Republican primary, and it was even more of an upset to Democrats when he won the White House over Hillary Clinton — who, controversially, won the popular vote but not the electoral college. What ensued was four years of chaos in the White House, ranging from public relations disasters to the reversal of landmark legislation to two impeachments — when Joe Biden won the presidential election in 2020, it marked the end of the Trump era.

But the honeymoon was short-lived. Trump quickly made it known that his sights were set on 2024, hoping to re-clinch the nomination and take back the White House. He flirted with an official announcement for months, and by November 2022, his reelection bid was in full swing. Of course, in the months that followed, legal challenges, civil settlements, and criminal indictments have made Trump's path to victory incredibly challenging — it should of course be noted that the Republican primary has only just started as of publication, too. So what does Trump's 2024 campaign look like and what challenges lay ahead of him?

Taking a moment from the past before jumping into Donald Trump's 2024 plans, going back to 2020's presidential election results is critical. Trump versus Joe Biden: It seemed like a circus from the start, yet despite the incumbent's confidence that voters would deliver the White House to him again, Trump lost the election to the former vice president. With that said, however, did Trump ever concede?

As historically seen played out, presidents and their successors have made a point to meet at the White House during the transition of power and attend the inaugural events united. While presidents have had their differences, these public displays of civility are essential, as they not only galvanize support but show a country-over-party perspective. Not taking a cue from his predecessor, however, was Trump, who — as noted by CNN – waited until January 7, 2021, to confess that he would not be serving a second term; a whole two months after Biden clinched win. Releasing a pre-recorded video, Trump stuck to his classic talking points and did not utter such plain words as "I lost reelection. Biden won, and we must support him." Instead, he sat for the video as his then-White House staff dropped like flies.

In the years that have followed, Trump has continued to peddle lies about the 2020 election, even though officials from his administration have confirmed and supported Biden's win.

Though it seemed as though acknowledging Joe Biden's win would have the power to kill him, Donald Trump wasted no time in making his future political aspirations known. After Biden took office in January 2021, former advisors of Trump's were hitting all the cable news networks, dropping hints that the 44th president would likely be making a comeback.

"The signs are that [Trump] is increasingly interested," David Gergen, a former White House communications director who contributed to a variety of administrations, told CNN at the time. "His interest intensifies when he sees Biden in trouble."

Highlighting Biden's then-approval rating — which was sitting in the low 40s — and the economy slowing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term impacts, Gergen confessed that a dip in support for the president would galvanize Trump and his motivations to run once more. Hinting at the legal woes that Trump was starting to face once out of office, Gergen simply stated: "I think it's going to take something hugely unexpected or a dramatic change in his health or a prison sentence to stop him."

We cannot talk about Donald Trump's 2024 campaign without discussing the 2022 midterms. Anyone familiar with the political game will attest that the midterms are often seen as an early assessment of the incumbent's successes and influence going into a general election year. Joe Biden's presidency has been fraught, and external influences like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war have resulted in increased gas prices, a supply chain shortage, and more. Many have been quick to point the finger at him and the Democrats. 

As such, the so-called "red wave" predicted to take over did not occur. Trump was, as some Republicans insisted, to blame. As noted by Reuters, losses in Republican-predicted strongholds — Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire — proved that ongoing insistence about the legitimacy of the 2020 election and Trump's inability to accept defeat spurred fringe candidates into key battleground races and may have hurt Republicans in the long run.

"Candidates matter, and I think we've lost two or three or four races we didn't have to lose this year," Blunt confessed. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell admitted that Trump was at the center of the midterm losses, telling NBC News: "We lost support that we needed among independents and moderate Republicans, primarily related to the view they had of us as a party — largely made by the former president — that we were sort of nasty and tended toward chaos."

When Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, he quickly left Washington, D.C., and retreated to his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home. It feels as though he was been hiding out there, and the FBI's raid on the home and the classified documents it uncovered shrouded the estate in even more secrecy. Unsurprisingly, then, Trump announced his 2024 campaign in the halls of the country club, per NPR.

"I am announcing my candidacy for president of the United States," Trump revealed on November 15, 2022, making his third plea to voters in front of a wall of American flags. Capping off the announcement in pure Trump style, the twice-impeached leader said: "America's comeback starts right now. Your country is being destroyed before your eyes" before adding that a perceived era of "American carnage" would come to an end under a second term.

However, the lack of family-supporting Trump's intentions did strike some as a stark change from his first campaign announcement. As noted by USA Today, his daughter and former advisor Ivanka Trump was not present and has since made it clear that she will not be involved in her father's 2024 campaign and potential political future. "I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena," she wrote on Instagram following his campaign kick-off.

Pushing conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, facing several legal issues, and stances on the issues facing the United States are just some of the reasons why the 2022 midterms saw a repudiation of Donald Trump and his base. But another element of Trump's stance as a 2024 hopeful that could get in the way of more Republicans taking his side is abortion. After the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade — giving the deciding power back to the states to rule on abortion — the issue became even more galvanized than it already was. Poll after poll showed that most Americans wanted and still want abortion to be legal and accessible, and Trump's stance on the issue (which is more understanding than you might think) ostracized him even further away from conservative voters.

The midterm failing "wasn't my fault," Trump attested on his social media site Truth Social, as noted by NBC News. "It was the 'abortion issue,' poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother, that lost large numbers of Voters."

Trump's stance was quickly criticized by anti-abortion the Susan B. Anthony group, who stated shortly thereafter that Trump should "state clearly" that abortion is immoral if he wants to win come 2024.

From a cursory scroll on social media, it may seem as though Donald Trump lost his steam — but that depends on what algorithm you're tuned into, as MAGA country and the die-hard supporters of Trump are just as prevalent today as they were in 2020. Democrats and Joe Biden, meanwhile, don't have the same kind of fandom — there aren't photoshopped images of Biden's face on a bodybuilder's physique, Biden-branded Bibles aren't being sold, and flags ranging from the supportive to the obscene aren't exactly found on the White House merchandise website. But what are Trump's polling numbers outside his dedicated base?

A Quinnipiac University poll released in December 2022 found that when it comes to Republican voters, Trump enjoys a 70% approval rating, while 20% look negatively on him. If these numbers seem high, the university noted that this is "the lowest favorability rating" Trump has received since March 2016. When taking independent voters into account, only 25% of them had a positive outlook on Trump, and 62% disapproved of his public persona. Like their Republican counterparts, this is the lowest rate Trump has received from independents since May 2015.

About 70% of registered voters said they would not want to see Trump clinch the 2024 nomination, while 25% said they would. Nearly half of Republicans want to see the 44th president as the 2024 nominee, while 38% are over him.

As the aftermath of January 6 evolved, legal ramifications followed those who raided the Capitol. As noted by Time, more than 840 rioters were arrested in the months that followed that day, and about 190 have been sentenced so far. There is an entire section of the United States Attorney's Office of the District of Columbia dedicated to Capitol breach cases, and it further links to the FBI's most wanted list for the U.S. Capitol Violence. Clearly, the government is taking the violence, the charges, and the sentencing of those involved incredibly seriously. Also taking the events of January 6 seriously is Donald Trump — but not in the way that you might think. Instead of rebuking supporters who threatened the lives of lawmakers and Capitol police, Trump promised during a campaign-style rally in Conroe, Texas, that if he were to win reelection, he would see to it that those charged for January 6 related crimes would be pardoned.

"Another thing we'll do, and so many people have been asking me about it, if I run and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly," Trump said during the January 2022 rally, as noted by Reuters. "We will treat them fairly. And if it requires pardons we will give them pardons. Because they are being treated so unfairly."

To say that the Congressional Republican caucus is in free fall is a bit of an understatement. Ahead of the devastating 2022 midterm elections, Republican lawmakers quickly split given the violence of January 6, the legal ramifications of Trump's time in office, his rejection of country over politics, and so on. Though whispers in the halls of Congress would firmly put Republicans on either a pro or con Trump list, The New York Times noted in 2021 that the list of lawmakers not supporting Trump publicly was slim.

Most notably, Representative Liz Cheney rejected Trump, landing her a spot on the House committee investigating January 6. The daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney and the lone representative from Wyoming, the Republican lawmaker took a central role in the investigatory committee, and she didn't hold back her criticism of the former president. "It's absolutely clear that what President Trump was doing, what a number of people around him were doing, that they knew it was unlawful. They did it anyway," Representative Cheney told CNN's Jake Tapper of January 6, 2021 (via Twitter).

As time would tell, rejecting Trump and publicly investigating him cost Cheney her seat in the House of Representatives. As noted by CNN after the midterm elections in 2022, the six Republicans in the House who voted for Trump's impeachment faced an uphill battle come reelection, and four of them lost.

As Donald Trump's time in the White House came to a close, his relationship with former vice president Mike Pence deteriorated. As it was his role to preside over Congress and certify the results of the 2020 election, Pence was thrust into the eye of the January 6 Capitol riot storm and faced a series of threats from Trump supporters ranging from general dislike to life-threatening statements. Given that Trump and Pence's dynamic completely shifted — and Pence's own 2024 campaign is underway — Trump will have to pick a new running mate to join him on the ticket. It should be noted that most presidential candidates don't announce a running mate until after the primary, but Trump is no ordinary candidate.

One aspect of Trump's personal political style that has guided his approach is a sense of loyalty. Political journalist Andrew Feinberg told Syracuse.com that the most essential quality in a running mate — as far as Trump is concerned — is unwavering dedication.

"His one and only criteria will be whether the person he picks will exhibit complete and total loyalty to him," Feinberg explained. However, some of Trump's allies are now in the 2024 race themselves, such as Nikki Haley. So who else could be on the shortlist? Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene could be a shoo-in, as could Representative Elise Stefanik.

When Donald Trump first ran in the 2016 election, a number of celebrities endorsed him across the board. From Scott Baio to Roseanne Barr to — for a time — Kanye West, the list was more stacked than some had assumed. But ahead of 2024, Trump's celebrity list has dwindled to a select few, though they are still out and proud with their support.

One such celebrity supporter is Robert Davi, the star of "The Goonies," who took to Twitter to praise Trump's name. "Listening to Donald Trump made me feel the greatest days of America could be ahead of us," he wrote on the social media site. "Donald Trump has the balls, common sense, and know-how to lift America out of the destructive path it is currently facing. He communicates plainly to the American people with bold clarity."

Joining Davi's estimations is Randy Quaid, the famed actor and Dennis Quaid's brother, who also took to social media following Trump's 2024 campaign announcement, writing: "Make America Glorious Again! Trump 2024." Time will tell if more well-known celebrities come out of the woodwork and support Trump once more, but those very vocal a few years ago have yet to so blatantly rally in the former president's corner.

If there's one element of Donald Trump's persona that has remained steady, it's his association with money. For years, Trump built brands, businesses, and deals on his billionaire status, and he seemingly took his money know-how to the political world and, by proximation, his political action committee. But as time has gone on, questions about exactly where donations to his campaign are going have arisen, and new information about his taxes and money while in office has left little to the imagination.

As detailed by Open Secrets, Trump's political action committee — Save America — spent $117,506,104 in 2022, unsurprisingly only giving money to Republican lawmakers and candidates. Donations, of course, are still being given daily, and ahead of the midterm elections, $20 million was transferred from Save America to a new super PAC, MAGA Inc., with the distinct goal of supporting Trump-endorsed candidates, CNN notes.

Moving on to his taxes, the House Ways and Means Committee released Trump's tax returns in late 2022, which revealed that the former president declared a negative income in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2020 and paid about $1,500 in income tax in both 2016 and 2017. And, if that didn't make you shake your head, the report from the committee included that Trump had foreign bank accounts in China, the United Kingdom, and Ireland while in office.

As the 2024 election cycle has heated up, a number of Republican hopefuls have thrown their hat into the presidential ring. Among them — and certainly the most popular — are Florida's governor Ron DeSantis, former Trump ambassador Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and many more. Of the more prominent names, the candidates have all taken a varied approach to the Trump issue — do they align themselves with him, stay neutral as things for the former president devolve, or cast him as the Republican party's problem child? Christie, for example, has positioned himself as an avid Trump critic who has repeatedly taken issue with the former president's baggage. DeSantis, Haley, and Pence, meanwhile, have all walked a more neutral line, delivering jabs on occasion but keeping their criticism close to their chests.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has stayed relatively mum on the issue, seemingly allowing his primary opponents to go after each other all while keeping his eye on the general election prize. According to CNN editor-at-large Chris Cillizza, a crowded Republican primary is good news for Trump, as the divided factions within the party will likely result in split support for a number of candidates rather than unified support behind just one.

Just a few years ago, it seemed as though the Republican field was packed with presidential hopefuls — yet it can now seem as though Donald Trump is the only option. Wait — is that Ron DeSantis knocking? The only Republican who appears to have a shot at beating Trump come 2024? Yes, it is. DeSantis is the now-incredibly popular governor of Florida, known for going after the "woke mob," enacting lax COVID-19 protocols, and positioning himself as the voice of Republican reason. As noted by The Washington Post in their ranking of 2024 hopefuls, DeSantis now outperforms Trump, coming in first to Trump's second — don't tell the former president, we all know how he feels about losing.

It's not just journalists and the academic community that see DeSantis as a 2024 contender. A poll from USA Today and Suffolk University showed that in a race against the 44th president and the governor of Florida, DeSantis kicked Trump where it hurt, outperforming him 56% to 33% among Republican-leaning voters. The poll further showed that just 33% of Republicans want to see Trump in the primary in the first place, a low blow to someone who has routinely shown a fragile ego when it comes to losing.

Another poll by The Wall Street Journal had DeSantis beating Trump 52% to 38%, clearly showing that the former president has his work cut out for him in 2024.

When it comes to fellow Republicans facing Donald Trump, we've presented quite a compelling case that Ron DeSantis will be the one to beat. And while some may still want to see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the frontrunner, as opposed to DeSantis or Ted Cruz, former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, took the opportunity to comment on facing down the 44th president in the Republican primary. Kinzinger doesn't want to face Trump down to pedal his own issues but rather to call Trump out when the opportunities present themselves.

"I would love it. I really would," Kinzinger told HuffPost when asked if he would run in 2024, specifically if he would face Trump on the debate stage and on the campaign trail. "Even if he crushed me, like in a primary, to be able to stand up and call out the garbage is just a necessary thing, regardless of who it is. ... I think it'd be fun."

Kinzinger has since called Trump and his son out for the "We the People" branded Bibles now available for purchase, asking "good" clergy members to rebuke its printing. "Oh the irony. The fact that some Christians don't see the problem here is more affirmation that it's not the GOP that has failed Christians, it's the church," Kinzinger tweeted on January 2, 2023. "Good Pastors and Priests rise up and call this out."

When Donald Trump announced his plans to run in 2024, his campaign kick-off was not like his widely-watched 2015 event. Instead of a golden escalator, a packed house, and a revived enthusiasm that rallied supporters, Trump's 2024 campaign event was a bit more subdued. The Hill noted that Trump's presidential announcement was "low energy" and kicked off nothing but a "campaign from hell" in its first month.

Hill opinion contributor Myra Adams also asserted that Trump could pull the "poor health card" to get out of the 2024 campaign, allowing him to capitalize on his age and save face. "Imagine his predictable social media message: 'I was winning the nomination and would have won the general election, but my doctor says I am at risk for (fill in the blank) and must end my campaign,'" Adams suggested, bringing up Trump's eyebrow-raising comments from an April 2022 interview with The Washington Post when he said: "You always have to talk about health. You look like you're in good health, but tomorrow, you get a letter from a doctor saying come see me again. That's not good when they use the word again."

Of course, Trump's health and food habits were of immense interest while he was in office, and he even allegedly had a "Diet Coke button" in the Oval Office, per Today.

Donald Trump has been, whether you like to admit it or not, a shadow over Joe Biden's time in office. Though Biden has been incredibly successful legislatively, Trump's continued temper tantrums and legal woes have kept him in the headlines. When asked back in March 2022 — when Trump's 2024 plans were simply rumors — Biden offered a quick quip about potentially facing the twice-impeached president again, leaving little to the imagination.

"In the next election I'd be very fortunate if I had that same man running against me," Biden said when asked about the then-possibility of a Trump 2024 campaign, as reported by CNBC. Biden made the comments while taking part in a news conference at the NATO headquarters in Belgium, as he had been meeting with world leaders to address the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, now a year old as of publication.

After Trump made the news official, Biden ... sort of ... responded. In Bali at the time for the G20 Summit, Biden was asked if he had a reaction to Trump's campaign. "Not really," he said, the Independent noted at the time.

A central component of Donald Trump's 2024 election goals is his ongoing legal woes. A number of juries and investigations have spent time digging into multiple issues related to the former president, and his first indictment came out of New York after a grand jury concluded their investigation into hush money payments made ahead of the 2016 election.

Testifying in front of the grand jury in the case is former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, whose 180-degree turn on Trump certainly came as a surprise. He alleged that he paid off adult film star Stormy Daniels on Trump's behalf in order to keep their involvement secret, writing her a check for $130,000 and using a shell company to hide the transaction. Cohen later alleged that Trump subsequently reimbursed the money himself and characterized it as a legal transaction. Cohen additionally testified that he oversaw a $150,000 payment to Playboy star Karen McDougal by the National Enquirer, seemingly squashing a story that would've exposed her involvement with the former reality TV president.

The indictment was a first by many historical standards, and Trump was later arraigned in New York. He pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts, with the most severe charges relating to fraudulent business records and cover-up tactics. His trial has yet to take place, and will likely be during the 2024 election campaign.

In the first week of April 2023, a development in one of the pending investigations against Donald Trump led to an unprecedented situation in U.S. politics. After weeks of back and forth, uncertainty, and speculations, the former president was indicted, arrested, and arraigned in connection with hush money payments Trump made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. As the Republican camp is divided over their support for Trump's re-election campaign, political analysts say that this development could actually help his cause — at least among his party members and sympathizers.

According to Robert Cahaly, senior strategist and pollster at the Trafalgar Group, this is because of all the ongoing investigations against Trump, the hush money scandal is the weakest one. "Trump's best role has always been a conservative martyr. And this falls right in that ... Literally, I can see them selling millions of T-shirts with his mug shot as a badge of honor," he told Vox. Whit Ayres, ​​founder and president of North Star Opinion Research, a polling firm, also told Vox: "This would be a very easy case to frame as a partisan political indictment. Much easier to frame that way than, say, the Georgia voting case or the classified documents or January 6." Another potential benefit of this indictment is that it will force other Republicans to speak about it — keeping Trump's campaign in the spotlight.

Early on in his 2016 campaign for president, Donald Trump's footing was rocked when the infamous Access Hollywood tape was uncovered, capturing Trump bragging about sexually exploitative acts. In the time since, 26 women have accused the former president of sexual misconduct, including journalist E. Jean Carroll, who alleged that Trump assaulted her in a New York department store. Carroll took Trump to court, where he faced a battery suit and civil defamation. In a shocking turn of events, the jury found Trump liable for both battery and defamation and ordered him to pay Carroll $2 million for the battery accusations and $3 million relating to defamation.

The jury's decision, which came in May 2023, was certainly a surprise to many who have followed the litany of sexual assault claims made against the former president. Carroll's victory was civil, not criminal, meaning that Trump was not found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt or handed down criminal charges — he was, however, found liable and received the payment consequences. While some have argued that Carroll's victory won't have a ton of impact on Trump's 2024 chances or the attitude of his base, the journalist's victory was a huge vote of confidence for survivors of sexual assault.

Carroll, meanwhile, has asked for an additional $10 million over statements Trump made about her after the jury had come to its conclusion. Time will determine how that shakes out.

After the New York indictment and E. Jean Carroll's victory, Donald Trump had been handed a pretty damning legal blow. Things got much worse for the 2024 hopeful, however, when he was indicted on 37 federal criminal counts in June 2023. Stemming from the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago and the investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents, the charges were thorough, including images of classified documents stored in the bathroom and ballroom of the Florida estate, recordings of Trump admitting to the classified nature of the documents he took from the White House, and more. Appearing in court for the arraignment, Trump pleaded not guilty to the 37 federal criminal charges, and while his base rallied around him, the former president is looking at an uphill battle come 2024.

In an ABC/Ipsos poll that was taken after the indictment was unsealed and the charges became more clear, the number of people acknowledging the severity of the situation rose from 52% to 61%. As far as Republicans were concerned, that number rose from 21% to 38%, and more than half of registered independents thought the charges were damning.

Like the New York indictment, no trial date has yet been scheduled, and Trump is facing the results of two more investigations – one stemming from Georgia and his attempts to influence the outcome of the 2020 election, and the other investigating his involvement in the January 6 Capitol riots.

With so many legal woes playing out amid the 2024 campaign, many have wondered if Donald Trump could run for president — and even win — if found guilty of the charges he's facing thus far (of which there could be more in the not too distant future). The short answer is yes.

Even if he faces time in prison due to any guilty charges lodged against him as these cases go to trial, there are no laws that prohibit convicted persons from running for presidential office. Additionally, some academic experts estimate that if Trump were to win the White House in 2024, his criminal charges — and any time behind bars — would likely be sidestepped for the duration of his presidency. He could even attempt to pardon himself. Because this scenario has never played out in the history of the United States before, it is all incredibly murky territory still as of publication.

While some Republicans have called for Trump to be pardoned if another candidate were to win the White House, others have changed their tune and made it clear that they don't think a Trump presidency in the wake of any convictions is a good idea. Representative Ken Buck retorted over the matter to CNN, via NPR: "I certainly won't support a convicted felon for the White House." Time will tell exactly what happens, but Trump's 2024 campaign is certainly off to a difficult start.

Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist who is among the few who accurately predicted the results of the 2022 midterms, clarified to Vox that while the indictment could help Donald Trump weed out the competition, it will not affect his overall image as a presidential candidate. Given his reluctance to accept defeat, ongoing investigations, and overall personality it is highly likely that in the average American voter's eyes, he is a huge liability. 

"Trump coming in as the nominee, having been indicted potentially two or three times — there's no scenario where that's helpful to him in a national election," Rosenberg said. "It perhaps will help him crowd out DeSantis and other challengers in the primary. But of course, that would be a disaster for the Republican Party." Matt Dole, an Ohio-based Republican strategist, agreed that the drama "[feeds] into the fatigue about Donald Trump."

While eyebrows are being raised regarding the legality of Trump's campaign now that he has been indicted, Derek Muller, a professor at the University of Iowa School of Law, confirmed to Vox that Trump can still legally run for president. Whether in jail or not, Trump meets the requirements for the presidency — he is a natural-born citizen who is above 35 years of age and has not been the president of the United States for more than two terms.