Former President Donald Trump has not been open about what his future may hold, including whether he intends to run for office again or not. However, Trump indicated this week that he will attempt to play a role of some kind in the future of U.S. politics.
Trump established “The Office of the Former President” on Monday, which will be located in Palm Beach County, Florida, not far from his current residence at Mar-a-Lago. The office, according to a press release announcing its establishment, will be run by his former White House aides and will handle his “correspondence, public statements, appearances and official activities,” and will serve as a means for him “to carry on the agenda of the Trump administration.”
“President Trump will always and forever be a champion for the American People,” the press release added.
The office may also give Trump a means to disseminate his views more broadly, using traditional media to do so as he has been banned from making social media posts on almost every mainstream platform across the internet.
It is still unclear what Trump himself may do in the months or even years ahead, although some are speculating that the announcement indicates that he won’t be running for president in 2024. Indeed, recent polling shows that Trump has lost support among Republicans after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden and instigating a mob of his loyalists to attack the Capitol during the certification process for the results for that election.
In November, shortly after Biden’s win, 54 percent of Republicans said they wanted to see Trump run again in four years, according to numbers from a Politico/Morning Consult poll at that time. That number has dwindled down to 42 percent in a more recent poll — still a plurality of support from GOP respondents, but a significant drop nonetheless.
Whether Trump runs again in 2024 or not, it’s expected that he will look to use his continued popularity among GOP voters to influence other elections, including encouraging his base of supporters to back primary challenges against Republican lawmakers he feels did not back him enough during his attempts to overturn the results of the presidential election.
Trump has already begun backing people he perceives to be loyal to him for future Republican primary elections. Shortly after Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her intention to run for governor of Arkansas this week, Trump publicly endorsed her candidacy, describing his former press secretary as a “warrior” who would “do what is right, not what is politically correct.”
Although Trump’s supporters and those within the GOP may want him to remain in politics, most Americans hope that he won’t be allowed to hold elected office ever again.
According to a Monmouth University poll released on Monday, 56 percent of Americans approve of the House of Representatives’ recent action to impeach Trump over his role in instigating violence at the Capitol this month. Fifty-two percent say they hope the Senate will vote to convict Trump, and if that happens, according to the poll, 57 percent of Americans say they want that legislative body to also bar him from holding any federal office in the future, a provision that’s allowed according to the Constitution.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
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In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
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Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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