Donald Trump has floated the idea of running for president again in 2024 at a holiday reception at the White House yesterday evening.
“It’s been an amazing four years,” Trump told the crowd, which included many Republican National Committee members. “We’re trying to do another four years. Otherwise, I’ll see you in four years.”
Trump’s comments appeared to acknowledge that he thought he could have lost the election. While speculation about a presidential run in 2024 has been rife, and many US politics watchers expect him to declare a bid soon, he has not spoken publicly about it before.
The event was attended by several Republican Party power brokers and was closed to the media, but a video of the outgoing president’s speech quickly went public after an attendee live-streamed it on Facebook. The live streaming video by former Oklahoma Republican Party Chair Pam Pollard showed dozens of people crammed into the Cross Hall of the White House state floor. As the guests stood closely together, many were noticed not wearing masks.
The Trump Family began hosting holiday receptions early this week, intending on celebrating a final season before Trump leaves office on January 20.
According to a report by the Associated Press, in the video, Trump is heard continuing to air baseless allegations of election fraud to explain his defeat by President-elect Joe Biden despite his attorney general, William Barr, telling the AP earlier Tuesday that the Justice Department had not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud and had seen nothing that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
“It’s certainly an unusual year. We won an election. But they don’t like that,” Trump told the group, adding: I call it a rigged election, and I always will.”
Nearly a month after the November 3 election the 74-year-old Trump still refuses to acknowledge that he had lost and has not conceded to his Democratic rival Joe Biden, who is busy building his incoming administration.
