As it happened: Donald Trump launches 2024 White House bid

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They stood outside Mar-a-Lago for hours but before the former president had even finished speaking they had abandoned their posts as the welcome wagon to his 2024 comeback announcement.

These "MAGA patriots", as they call themselves, got what they came for about halfway through the speech: confirmation that their man would stand again. And then they left.

Of the half dozen supporters I spoke to, every single one expressed some form of election denialism and doubts about the integrity of US votes, repeating false claims that Trump had actually won in 2020.

Derek Arnold had never voted in his life, despite being a proud Trump supporter. He said he didn't trust the way elections were administered.

I asked him if the party line for Trumpers these days is Keep America Great, or, as the signs inside Trump's event proclaimed, Make America Great Again?

"Well, it needs to be made great again - but here's the thing, I don't support '24 or '22 - I'm still stuck on 2020," Arnold responded.

"There was honestly kinda some disappointment when he said he was running for 2024, and I understand that - because we gotta fix 2020 first, we really do. We can't just brush it under the rug."

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Donald Trump's aides are saying this bid for president will look more like 2016 than 2020.

Stripped of the powers of office, the former president will frame himself as an outsider, seeking to disrupt a political establishment on the left and right that views him with hostility.

Even so, there's reason to believe the task ahead of him will be a daunting one. Here's why:

1. Eight years ago, Trump was a political blank slate who could make expansive promises without critics pointing to past shortcomings and failures - but that is not the case anymore
2. Trump will have to defend the way he handled the end of his presidency, and his role in the 6 January attack on the US Capitol - an event that may still be influencing voter behaviour
3. He has a multitude of legal headaches, including a criminal election-tampering inquiry in Georgia, a civil fraud case targeting his business empire in New York and federal probes into his role in the Capitol attack and his post-presidential handling of classified material
4. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appears to be emerging as a consensus pick among the party faithful not interested in giving Trump another shot at the White House
5. Trump overcame net-negative views of his candidacy in 2015 - but after eight years as a political figure on the national stage, those views may be much less likely to change this time around
6. If Trump wins, he would be 78 years old, making him the second-oldest president in US history behind Joe Biden. There is also no guarantee he can withstand the kind of rigorous campaigning required to win the Republican nomination - particularly one where he will probably be pitted against much younger candidates

Read more here.

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As one might expect, Democrats have not exactly responded positively to Donald Trump's announcement.

Adam Schiff, a Democratic Representative in California who sits on the committee investigating the January 6 2020 Capitol riot, accused Trump of abusing his power to “carry out political vendettas” during his time in office.

This included, Schiff said, using the Department of Justice to “go after his enemies”.

Meanwhile, Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic Senator from Minnesota and former contender for the presidential nomination, said “democracy prevailed” when the result of the 2020 election was upheld in the aftermath of January.

“We will not go backwards and descend into his chaos again,” she said of Trump.

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So Donald Trump has announced he is running in 2024. But to actually be on the ballot, he'll have to win the Republican Party's nomination (unless he were to run as an independent).

As he well knows, the road to becoming one of the main parties' presidential nominees can be long and arduous:

• It typically starts at least one year before voters go to the polls, so in this case before November 2023 as the election is in November 2024
• Each party candidate is chosen through a series of state contests, called primaries and caucuses. They function slightly differently, but serve the same purpose - to allow voters to pick who they think the party should back
• Each candidate is assigned a number of delegates proportional to the number of votes they won in the state
• Those delegates go on to vote for them at their party's presidential nominating convention - these are events which might be familiar, with big, glitzy speeches and lots of media attention
• The Republicans plan to hold their convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while the Democrats have yet to pick a venue for theirs
• Along the way, candidates will compete in grueling debates against other members of their own party - presenting rare moments where intra-party conflict spills into the wide open for voters to see

Trump declaring that he wants to run for the presidency in 2024 sets him up for a potentially huge battle for the Republican crown with rising star Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor.

DeSantis swept to re-election with a resounding victory last week - including scoring a clear majority among Latino voters – while many other Republicans across the country faced unexpectedly tight races.

His success in the midterms amid disappointing overall Republican results has fuelled speculation that the man some have dubbed "Trump 2.0" may decide to run for the top job.

Trump lashed out at DeSantis last week, describing him as an "average" governor, lacking in "loyalty".

He has also warned the Florida governor against running for president in 2024, saying doing so would harm the Republican Party.

On Tuesday, DeSantis was asked by a reporter to comment on some of Trump's attacks. DeSantis did not name Trump directly but said in broad reference to attacks on his record, including from the media, "all that's just noise".

The Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (the DNC, aka the Democratic Party) has tweeted that his team is ready to take on whichever candidates the Republicans nominate for the 2024 contest.

"Trump’s announcement tonight is just the kickoff of what will be a messy Republican primary with candidates competing to be the most extreme Maga Republican in the race," tweeted Chairman Jamie Harrison.

"The DNC will be ready for them all."

Reaction has also been trickling in from other Democrats.

Within an hour of Trump's speech, one Democratic congressman began circulating a draft bill that would prevent Trump from holding office ever again.

Rhode Island Rep David Cicilline said Trump's role in the 6 January 2021 riot at the Capitol amounted to an insurrection that should see him banned under the constitution's 14th amendment.

A congressional committe is investigating the Capitol riot and Trump recently did not show up to give testimony, defying a subpoena issued in October.

One thing Donald Trump did not mention during his speech was the claim that he really won the 2020 election and it was corruptly stolen from him. However, he alluded to it with statements that paper ballots were necessary in future elections.

Many Republicans blame Trump's denial of the 2020 election result for costing them votes in the midterm elections - saying it put off independents and moderate Republican voters.

Before the speech began Trump aides told us that the speech would be “forward looking”. Clearly they meant they had persuaded Donald Trump to avoid making the 2020 election a major talking point.

Good morning if you're just waking up in the UK and catching up on the news that Donald Trump has announced he's running for president again in 2024.

This is despite Republicans' poorer than expected performance in the recent midterm elections, which some have blamed on Trump and the kind of candidates he supported.

Here's the moment Trump officially announced to the crowd at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that he would make another tilt for the White House, saying that he would make the country "great and glorious again".

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The former president is being investigated on several fronts.

He's repeatedly denied wrongdoing, but these investigations could have a major impact on him both personally and politically. While they won't disqualify him from running, the cases - and any revelations they throw up - could play a large part in his campaign.

Mar-a-Lago: The Department of Justice is looking into the removal of government documents from the White House - some labelled top secret - which were then taken to Trump's Florida estate after he left office.

New York: There are two investigations here - one civil and the other criminal - into the business dealings of the Trump Organization, the family's real estate company.

Capitol Riot: A committee in Congress has been examining Trump's alleged role in last year's attack on the US Capitol. The justice department is running a separate criminal probe - but the extent to which Trump is a target of this is unclear.

Georgia: There's a criminal investigation here into alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result. It's not known whether Trump is being directly investigated, but we know some of his allies are part of the inquiry.

For a deeper look, you can read our explainer here.

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Several hundred people turned up to watch Trump's speech at Mar-a-Lago, but many of his longtime supporters, including previous campaign managers, were not present.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who helped the Trump administration broker peace deals in the Middle East, was present, but his wife Ivanka Trump was not. She released a statement saying she would not participate in politics during her father’s third run.

Roger Stone, a longtime friend of Trump's who was convicted and ordered to serve 40 months in prison before Trump commuted his sentence, was there in the ballroom.

So was Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and one of the biggest proponents of the bogus theory that the 2020 presidential election was influenced by fraud.

Eric Trump, who was tapped to run the Trump Organization when his father became president, was there. At one point he was asked by his father to stand up and be recognised for having a "PhD in subpoenas", a reference to ongoing investigations into the family company.

Donald Trump’s wife and the former First Lady Melania Trump joined him on stage briefly before taking a seat in the front row beside 16-year-old Barron Trump, his youngest child.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News contributer engaged to Donald Trump Jr, was there, but Don Jr wasn't. A source close to him told US media that he was hunting in the West and was unable to fly due to "bad weather".

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Directly across the narrow lagoon that separates Donald Trump’s “Winter White House” from the mainland of West Palm Beach is a bungalow-style house bearing evidence that a happy Trumper resides here.

Flying below the Stars and Stripes is a flag emblazoned with the former president's name, and his famous “Make America Great Again" slogan.

It’s not a surprising sight here in Donald Trump’s backyard, perhaps a smoke signal to a politician with a cult-like following - but a contradictory bit of political tat is the two yard signs planted prominently on the same property.

Both commend Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who cruised to an easy victory in his re-election last week.

“Keep Florida Free” reads one of the signs - a nod to DeSantis’ widespread popularity in his home state as a result of his anti-lockdown, anti-mask stances during the pandemic. He’s viewed as a Trump-like Republican, but is seen as lacking the charisma - and recklessness - of the 45th president.

An anecdotal data point of course - but a sign of the challenges Trump will face in 2024.

Recent exit polls from CBS News show that more Florida Republicans want to see DeSantis run (76%) than want to see Trump run (61%). If DeSantis does in fact pursue the nomination - which man will emerge triumphant win over their fellow Floridians?

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Members of the Republican Party have expressed mixed emotions over the news that former President Donald Trump will seek re-election.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Mr Trump's staunchest supporters in the Senate, cheered the speech.

"If President Trump continues this tone and delivers this message on a consistent basis, he will be hard to beat," he tweeted.

He added that the platform Trump outlined "charts a winning path for him" in the primaries, where he will face off against other Republicans, and in the general election.

But Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who is leaving office to be replaced by former Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, criticised Trump's message.

"Trump is correct on Biden’s failures, but his self-indulging message promoting anger has not changed," he posted.

"It didn’t work in 2022 and won’t work in 2024. There are better choices."

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who just won re-election, took to Twitter to praise Trump and criticise the media for mentioning the 6 January riot on Capitol Hill during its coverage of Trump's speech.

"Same old playbook of lies. 99% of news about Trump is all Democrat political attacks," she tweeted.

The BBC has been asking voters around the country to weigh in on a Trump run in 2024.

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Quote Message: The results of election night - with so many of the candidates Trump endorsed losing - make me feel that his grip on the country is not quite as strong as it was a few years ago. So many politicians are opportunists - elected Republicans will fall in line behind Donald as long as it is the popular thing to do. Now that his popularity is seemingly falling a bit, though definitely not gone, I'm hoping more Republicans will be willing to move away from supporting whatever Trump says and does. Donald Trump is very good at getting his supporters revved up. That, and the gap of Democratic leadership for who will run in 2024, make me nervous he could still win again.

The results of election night - with so many of the candidates Trump endorsed losing - make me feel that his grip on the country is not quite as strong as it was a few years ago. So many politicians are opportunists - elected Republicans will fall in line behind Donald as long as it is the popular thing to do. Now that his popularity is seemingly falling a bit, though definitely not gone, I'm hoping more Republicans will be willing to move away from supporting whatever Trump says and does. Donald Trump is very good at getting his supporters revved up. That, and the gap of Democratic leadership for who will run in 2024, make me nervous he could still win again.

The BBC has been asking voters around the country to weigh in on a Trump run in 2024.

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Quote Message: If Trump announces, I’d write a letter to the Republican National Committee saying I disagree and send a check to DeSantis. To be straight to the point, no I would not vote for Donald Trump. While I do think he cares very much about the country, his style and self-importance are disqualifiers for me. At this point he has become divisive and there's far too much of that in this world. He should be actively discouraged from entering the race. But I would have to 'suck it up' and vote for him in the general election if the choice was Biden or Trump. I would love to see Governor DeSantis as a candidate. He has demonstrated both leadership and positive results. Unlike the current administration, Gov. DeSantis has also clearly shown that he is a uniter, not a divider, and he has wrestled with a major hurricane at the same time as he was on the campaign trail and he managed both with competence and lack of drama.

If Trump announces, I’d write a letter to the Republican National Committee saying I disagree and send a check to DeSantis. To be straight to the point, no I would not vote for Donald Trump. While I do think he cares very much about the country, his style and self-importance are disqualifiers for me. At this point he has become divisive and there's far too much of that in this world. He should be actively discouraged from entering the race. But I would have to 'suck it up' and vote for him in the general election if the choice was Biden or Trump. I would love to see Governor DeSantis as a candidate. He has demonstrated both leadership and positive results. Unlike the current administration, Gov. DeSantis has also clearly shown that he is a uniter, not a divider, and he has wrestled with a major hurricane at the same time as he was on the campaign trail and he managed both with competence and lack of drama.

The BBC has been asking voters around the country to weigh in on a Trump run in 2024.

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Quote Message: Like everything Donald Trump does, he stirs up the pot and the status quo. That was one reason - the primary reason - I voted for him in 2016 and 2020. This time, it would depend on whether Ron DeSantis was running in the primary or general election. I've been a staunch Trump supporter since he first rode that elevator down in 2015 to announce his first run for the White House, but I feel Governor DeSantis would be the better and more desirable candidate in any presidential primary or general election. This is because of all of the distraction or baggage that another Trump presidency would bring with it - the media and Democrats would, in my opinion, become catatonic about another Trump presidency and all discussions about him would be very negative. Not that a DeSantis presidency wouldn't stir up the establishment as well, but DeSantis is far more articulate and, I believe, far more logical and a far better leader."

Like everything Donald Trump does, he stirs up the pot and the status quo. That was one reason - the primary reason - I voted for him in 2016 and 2020. This time, it would depend on whether Ron DeSantis was running in the primary or general election. I've been a staunch Trump supporter since he first rode that elevator down in 2015 to announce his first run for the White House, but I feel Governor DeSantis would be the better and more desirable candidate in any presidential primary or general election. This is because of all of the distraction or baggage that another Trump presidency would bring with it - the media and Democrats would, in my opinion, become catatonic about another Trump presidency and all discussions about him would be very negative. Not that a DeSantis presidency wouldn't stir up the establishment as well, but DeSantis is far more articulate and, I believe, far more logical and a far better leader."

Donald Trump spent considerable time talking about what he viewed as the highlights of his presidency and the lowlights of the first two years of the Joe Biden administration. As the speech progressed, he went off-script with more frequency, telling stories about foreign leaders and making new promises about what he hoped to accomplish in a second term.

But the speech was noteworthy as much for what he didn’t say as what he did.

Apart from a brief early aside on supposed Chinese meddling, he didn’t talk about the 2020 election or how it was “stolen” from him. He also didn’t attack members of his own party, including recent favourite targets like Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and potential presidential rival Ron DeSantis. In fact, the only Republican officeholder he mentioned by name was Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who he said had praised him for winning over Hispanic voters in his state.

Perhaps the former president was heeding the advice from some in his party that Republican leaders should offer a positive message and focus on the future, not the past.

As Trump veered further off script in the later stages of his hour-plus speech, he did talk about the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s 2016 election-meddling and its recent raid on Mar-a-Lago, but only as part of his pledge to “dismantle the deep state”.

That came after all the cable networks had cut away from the speech, however. By that point, even conservative-leaning Fox News was running highlights of Trump’s speech rather than carrying his ongoing remarks live.

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Reporters traveling with Joe Biden in Indonesia say he had no comment when asked about Trump's speech just now.

Asked if he had any reaction to Trump's announcement, Biden reportedly exchanged a glance with French President Emmanuel Macron before responding "no, not really".

The leaders then continued their tour of the Hutan mangrove forest in Bali.

So we got the big announcement - and the invited crowd in this ballroom loved it. But the speech, which lasted over an hour, was mostly a rehash of issues and stories Donald Trump has been repeating on stage for months. You might have expected some new material for this special occasion, it felt strangely flat compared to his usual rallies.

Wanting to put a flag on Mars is a new idea. But not much of a platform to run on. Otherwise it was the familiar lines about border security, energy independence and crime. With a suggestion of death sentences for drug dealers.

Trump did offer an explanation for why Republicans underperformed in the midterm elections. Nothing to do with him. The problem is - I’m paraphrasing - is that voters haven’t realised yet how terrible life is in Joe Biden’s America. But by 2024, Trump said, they will.

Melania joined him on stage, briefly, at the end of the speech. I didn’t spot many other family members. Eric Trump was the only one of his children I could see.

I also spotted senior Trump advisor Jason Miller. A few days ago he was saying Trump should delay this announcement. He’s obviously changed his mind. And the My Pillow CEO Michael Lindell was posing for photos before the event began. But the whole of the 2020 team were not here.

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