Donald Trump blasted President Joe Biden’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan while delivering his strongest hint yet about a possible 2024 presidential bid.
The former president told fellow Republicans that “the time is coming” for him to make an official announcement about his upcoming bid for the White House.
Trump said he thought “people will be very happy” with his decision while noting that America has “lost everything” under Biden.
His announcement comes as a prominent GOP donor who has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, and told DailyMail.com he doesn’t think the former president will run for president again.
Instead, the donor said he might see Trump appoint Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to take over the national torch for Málaga.
Donald Trump blasted President Joe Biden’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan while delivering his strongest hint yet about a possible 2024 presidential bid.
Trump, who delivered the keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas this weekend, confirmed that he will lay out his plans to run for public office in the near future.
“It’s definitely not a very long time, the time is coming,” Trump said Saturday when asked by Fox News when Republicans could expect an official announcement.
“I think people will be very happy, our country has never been in a situation like this, we have lost everything.”
He said that the nation was facing internal crises and a crisis in foreign policy, noting that America had lost its “prestige” when Biden withdrew US forces from Afghanistan last year.
“Our country has never been in a worse place,” Trump said.
They gave away $85 billion worth of equipment, dead soldiers, you still have Americans there who are probably hostages, eventually they will be hostages, there has never been a time like this.
Trump (left, pictured Saturday) argued that the nation was facing domestic crises and a foreign policy crisis, noting that America lost its ‘prestige’ when Biden (right, pictured Sunday) pulled US troops out of Afghanistan last year . Trump claimed that our country has never been worse
“They gave up $85 billion worth of equipment, dead soldiers, and you still have Americans there who are probably hostages, and eventually they will be hostages, and there has never been a time like this,” Trump said of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Pictured: Hundreds of people run alongside an Air Force C-17 transport plane as it moves on a runway in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 16, 2021
Pictured: A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III safely transports approximately 640 Afghan nationals from Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 15, 2021
He also claimed that the United States is “a nation that allowed Russia to destroy a country, Ukraine, kill hundreds of thousands of people, and it’s only going to get worse.”
Trump complained about Biden’s shift “by far the most secure border in US history” to “the worst border ever in history”.
Just last month, an illegal alien here in Texas was charged with the cold-blooded murders of four elderly women across the state. It has been linked to the deaths of at least 24 people.
“What we do in the next few months and the next few years will determine whether American civilization will collapse and fail or whether it will thrive, frankly, like never before.”
“We will be making an announcement in the not too distant future,” he added.
Trump (pictured Saturday) promised his followers that he would “make an announcement in the not-too-distant future” regarding his decision to run in 2024. He also commented on the 2020 election, which he still sees as “rigged and stolen.”
Trump maintains a grip on the party’s base. Merchandise bearing his name or the like dominated the exhibitors’ stands at the CPAC Texas Conference in Dallas
Trump also commented on the 2020 election, which he continues to say is “rigged and stolen.”
The elections were rigged and stolen, and now our country is being systematically destroyed. And everyone knows that. … I ran twice, won twice.
America is on the brink. And our movement is the only force on Earth that can save it. We should take this opportunity to deal with the radical left socialists and fascists.
His remarks came shortly after CPAC released a poll showing the former president as the ‘frontrunner’ for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Trump received nearly 70 percent of the votes cast at the convention. DeSantis came in a distant second, at 23.7%.
Since leaving office, Trump has remained active within the Republican Party, including endorsing a long list of candidates for all levels of government – local, state and even the US Senate.
The results show that Trump has strengthened his grip on the conservative grassroots. And his lead over second-place DeSantis has increased to 45 points since the last poll was conducted in February
However, some analysts suspect Trump may actually endorse DeSantis in 2024 rather than run for office himself.
Dallas businessman Doug Dyson spoke to DailyMail.com’s chief political correspondent, Rob Crilly, at the offices of his financial empire in Dallas shortly before the former president arrived to speak at CPAC.
Although Trump delighted the crowd by defaulting on the idea of a 2024 race, Deason said the former president has a lot to lose by running.
“I think Donald Trump is enjoying life,” he said. I believe he is in a position as a power broker.
He’s the kingmaker and why would he want to come back to take the crap out of him all the time, take all the responsibility and not build his empire?
He had to come back and help rebuild it and you know, why would he let it deteriorate?
‘Why is it collapsing again?’ Because he would be attacked just as he was.
He can be a kingmaker without being a king.
Doug Dyson, the top Republican donor, said he doesn’t think Donald Trump will run in 2024. Although he would win the party’s primaries, he would likely lose in the general election, he said.
Dyson (C) campaigns for criminal justice reform, and has advised President Trump on the issue. He was a co-chair of the Texas Trump Victory campaign in 2020 and is a friend of Don Jr.
Trump maintains a firm grip on the Republican Party’s grassroots.
So Dyson’s comments will be seen as a hint to the former president that the party’s staunch supporters would rather see him step down than risk defeat.
Dyson was a major player in helping Trump secure Texas. He was co-chair of the Trump State Victory Fund in 2020 and in 2016 he and his father Darwin Deason donated more than $900,000 to help get Trump and other Republicans elected.
This time, he said, he has not turned his back on Trump, who has said he is likely to win the Republican nomination if he decides to run.
But he did talk about the attraction of DeSantis and his wife, Casey.
I think Ron DeSantis would be Donald Trump without all the baggage.
I mean, Donald J. Trump had the best policies of any president I’ve ever had, including President Reagan.
But you know he can be petty about things, and he won’t let things go. And you know you love him and hate him.
Trump breakers are used to sell conservative cell phone plans at CPAC Texas in Dallas
Deason held a fundraiser for DeSantis while campaigning for another term as Governor of Florida.
The emergence of 43-year-old DeSantis on the national scene has sparked talk that he could mark a generational changing of the guard.
His efforts to keep Florida open during the pandemic and his leading role in the nation’s culture wars have kept him in the headlines.
As a result, polls consistently put him second to Trump (albeit far) when Republicans are asked who they want to run in 2024.
DeSantis, who has advised Trump on criminal justice reform, said DeSantis would be a more inclusive leader.
In contrast to that approach with Trump, he said: “He’s going to sit and listen and let people get involved, and he’s not going to dominate the conversation.” “I think Ron would make a great boss.”
