White House Won't 'Underestimate' Trump's Chances of Winning 2024 Election
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A top US administration official Sunday said the White House won’t underestimate former president Donald Trump’s chances of being re-elected should he decide to run in 2024.
White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain appeared in an interview with Mike Allen on “Axios on HBO” where he discussed US President Joe Biden’s plan of running again in 2024 and a bruising matchup should Trump make a 2024 bid. The former Republican president recently told his supporters to "stay tuned" for news on whether he will make a run for the White House again.
"I wouldn't want to estimate or underestimate Donald Trump as an opponent if he chooses to run," Klain said, adding: "President Trump had a bad record in 2020. Joe Biden is hopefully assembling a powerful record to run on if he runs for reelection in 2024.”
During his first presidential news conference in March, Biden revealed plans to run for re-election in 2024 with Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate. "The answer is yes, my plan is to run for reelection,” he had said. "I'm a great respecter of fate. I've never been able to plan four-and-a-half, three-and-a-half years ahead for certain."
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has begun putting together opposition research files on Republicans who could potentially run for the presidency in 2024. The list, which names 20 potential GOP contenders, includes Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-FL.
Trump is yet to accept the results of the November election or declare his intentions to run again in 2024. But on Tuesday, he teased a possible bid during a phone appearance on Candace Owen's Daily Wire show “Candace.”
"I think people are going to be very, very happy when I make a certain announcement," Trump said. "All I say is, ‘Stay tuned.’"
In late April, Trump revealed that he is considering Gov. DeSantis as his running mate in 2024. The Florida Governor was labeled as the “odds-on favorite to be the next President” in a straw poll held by the Conservative Political Action Conference in February.
"When you look under the hood of those numbers, DeSantis garners a lot of support from Trump voters in the absence of Trump," said Tony Fabriozo, the former president’s chief pollster.
Other Republican figures included in the DNC’s research files are Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; Rick Scott, R-Fla.; former Vice President Mike Pence; and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.