Trump’s declaration underwhelms as party craves new leadership – Security blocks crowd from leaving Mar-a-Lago ballroom before end of speech announcing 2024 run; Megadonors won’t back him, Congressional GOP shun speech
Even Trump faithfuls gathered as the former president announced 2024 run were impatient for the speech to end as the made for an early exit
Former President Donald Trump announced his third White House run Tuesday night from his Mar-a-Lago resort
Trump’s speech lasted 63 minutes without the usual gusto that has become his trademark
All the major TV networks, including Fox News Channel, pulled away before the ex-president had wrapped up
Footage Tuesday night shows members of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago crowd trying to make an exit before he was done
Security held guests in the ballroom until the Trump family departed
His two eldest children Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr, were noticeably absent at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday
Don Jr went hunting and Ivanka later announced she would not be part of her father’s campaign for 2024
Axios reported that GOP megadonor, Blackstone Group CEO head Stephen Schwarzman wouldn’t be backing Trump’s 2024 campaign and was ready for the GOP to move on from the ex-president
Same as Citadel founder Ken Griffin, and most congressional GOP

Former President Donald Trump announced his third was run for US president at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Tuesday night, but he won’t have the support of many GOP stalwarts including Republican superdonor Stephen Schwarzman
Former President Donald Trump’s presidential announcement speech Tuesday night didn’t appear to play well among those present in the Mar-a-Lago crowd.
Footage shows some of the gathered faithful attempting an early exit as he was still speaking, but security prevented them from leaving the venue.
The crowd was held back inside the ballroom until the entire Trump family – Donald, Melania, Barron, Eric, Lara, Jared Kushner and Kimberly Guilfoyle – had departed out the front entrance of the Palm Beach, Florida estate – Notably absent were his two eldest children Don Jr. and his sister Ivanka

The Secret Service wouldn’t say if this was part of the agency’s security protocol – as Trump retains protection.
‘Due to the need to maintain operational security, the U.S. Secret Service does not comment on the means, methods or resources used to conduct our protective operations,’ Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the USSS’ Communication and Media Relations Division Jim Domingue said.
Trump’s speech droned on for just over an hour and lacked his usual vigor and humor. Unsurprisingly,
all the major TV networks, including Fox News Channel, pulled away before the former president had wrapped up.
The lack luster effect was no less noticeable with some prominent GOP superdonors.
Axios reported Wednesday morning that Blackstone Group CEO, Stephen Schwarzman wouldn’t be backing Trump’s 2024 campaign and was ready for the Republicans to move on from the ex-president.
‘America does better when its leaders are rooted in today and tomorrow, not today and yesterday,’ Schwarzman told Axios after the announcement.
‘It is time for the Republican Party to turn to a new generation of leaders and I intend to support one of them in the presidential primaries.’

Meanwhile former First Daughter and Special Presidential Adviser, Ivanka Trump sent out a statement Tuesday night, explaining her absence: she would not be having anything to do with the 2024 campaign:
‘I love my father very much. This time around, I’m choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family,’ the former White House adviser said.
‘While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena.’
Donald Trump Jr. wasn’t in attendance due to a flight hiccup, as he tried to return to Florida from a hunting trip.

Schwarzman’s exit from the Trump gallery comes after another GOP megadonor, Citadel’s billionaire founder Ken Griffin said he would be backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, should he run.
Griffin, called Donald Trump a “three-time loser” and said he hoped the former president would “see the writing on the wall” and not run for the White House again.
Griffin had previously referred to Trump as a ‘three-time loser,’ which was similar to the verbiage former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also disparaged the ex-president’s record when he tore into him at an Orlando conference for Republican governors Tuesday afternoon – just hours before Trump’s speech.
Christie told a crowd, that Trump was responsible not just for the ‘red wave’ never materializing in 2022, but losses in 2020 and 2018 as well Axios reports.
Christie who has been fully on the Trump bandwagon, has turned a critic as of late.


During his Tuesday night address, Trump said ‘in four short years everybody was doing great,’ and characterized the U.S. under Democratic President Joe Biden as a country in ‘pain, hardship, anxiety and despair.’
‘In order to make America great and glorious again, I am today announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,’ the ex-president proclaimed about 20 minutes into his speech.
‘I am running because I believe the world has yet seen the true glory this nation can be,’ he added.
Pushing back at the idea that he was an election-loser,Trump told his audience: ‘I do want to point out in the midterms, my endorsement success rate was 232 wins and only 22 losses,’ he said.
‘And this is an elegant night at an elegant place and I’m not going to use the term “fake news,” so we’re going to keep it very elegant, but you don’t hear that from the media.’




Trump’s former acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney tweeted out Trump’s ‘losses included Senate races in PA, AZ, NV and NH. And governors in AZ, PA, and MI.’
‘Wins included dog catcher in Pahrump, AZ,’ Mulvaney said, later correcting it to Pahrump, Nevada. ‘Not the same thing. And people know it.’
Trump also complained about the ‘weaponization’ of the Justice Department, including the August raid of Mar-a-Lago, as he’s under investigation for removing White House documents, among other things.
‘We need more seriousness, less noise, and leaders who are looking forward, not staring in the rearview mirror claiming victimhood,’ Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted in reaction Wednesday morning.
Pompeo is seemingly also exploring a bid for the presidency.

On Tuesday’s Morning Consult/Politico poll, just one respondent out of 842 said he’d be their first choice in a 2024 Republican primary, putting him at 0 percent to Trump’s 47 percent.
Those who attended Tuesday night’s announcement were some of the most MAGA faithful, including My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, adviser Stephen Miller, longtime political consultant Roger Stone and adviser Jason Miller.
The only prominent member of Congress in the crowd was outgoing Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who was successfully primaried by another Republican after making eyebrow-raising statements about GOP members of Congress.
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel Wednesday morning, ‘I didn’t listen to it.’
‘Frankly, I’ve got better things to do,’ the Louisiana lawmaker told host Julie Mason.
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose Senate race has yet to be called as she defends her seat against the Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka, shrugged off the announcement to reporters Wednesday before the Senate GOP’s leadership vote.
‘He’s … doing what he’s doing,’ said Murkowski, who voted in favor of Trump’s second impeachment.
Lindell falsely, claimed that the midterm elections were still rife with fraud, so criticism blaming Trump for Republicans’ underwhelming performance was unfounded.

‘These guys all won,’ Lindell said, referencing in particular, Arizona Republican gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake and Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Both races have been called for their Democratic opponents.
‘If we would have had a red wave, nobody would have ever listened to me again,’ Lindell said, adding that DeSantis stood no chance against Trump in a Republican primary.
‘If he runs tonight it’s over. That’s it. Boom. If he says he’s running it’s over. There’s no other candidates. They’d be wasting their time and money blah, blah, blah,’ Lindell said.
Trump’s announcement coming exactly one week after the midterms, now stretches the 2024 presidential campaign to a two-year period and came before the 2022 midterms were even wrapped up.
A number of Republicans questioned the timing, as the GOP could still pick up a Senate seat in Georgia, should Republicans there back Herschel Walker over Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in an early December runoff.
‘But quite honestly it would have been better, I think, had he said “I’m going to make a big announcement,” but first I’m going to go to Georgia and make sure Herschel Walker wins that race and I’m going to ask every Republican to go all in,’ said For former GOP Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told Newsmax Tuesday night, ‘I can’t explain why he would choose right now.’
Huckabee added that he did not know ‘one person, and I’m talking about even the people who are closest to him’ that agreed with Trump’s timing.

The leader of one prominent Tea Party group – Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund Chairman Jenny Beth Martin – allowed the forthcoming Georgia runoff election to postpone chiming in about a potential Trump 2024 endorsement.
‘During his four years in office, President Trump was a strong and effective leader. His success on the economy, immigration, foreign policy, and judges, among other critical issues, is undeniable,’ Martin said in a statement. ‘We need a proven conservative leader as the Republican nominee in 2024, and as president beyond that, to repair the damage done to our country by Joe Biden,’ Martin continued.
‘We will concern ourselves with the 2024 presidential nominating process sometime after the Georgia Senate runoff is over,’ she added.
Apparently hedging his bets, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham who said he caught the speech last night, told reporters on Capitol Hill he thought it was ‘good.’
He had also tweeted that he appreciated Trump’s more subdued tone: ‘If President Trump continues this tone and delivers this message on a consistent basis, he will be hard to beat,’ Graham wrote.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz couched his support on Trump getting through the 2024 GOP primaries.
‘If he’s the nominee I’d support him,’ Cruz said.
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