Trump says he has “more conviction” than ever
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump kicked off his campaign to win the White House in 2024 on Saturday with an event in New Hampshire before heading to South Carolina, two states early voting, the first since he announced his candidacy more than two months ago.
“We started. We start here as a candidate for president,” Trump told party leaders at the Republican annual gathering in Salem before heading to Columbia to introduce his campaign team for the state of South Carolina. “I am angrier now and I have more conviction than ever.”
New Hampshire and South Carolina hold two of the party’s first three primaries, giving them enormous power in choosing the candidate.
Trump and his allies are hoping the events will be a show of force in support of the former president after a slow start to the campaign that left many doubting his conviction to run again. In recent weeks, his supporters have turned to political operatives and elected officials for their endorsement at a crucial time, when other Republicans are preparing their own campaigns.
“The starting signal has sounded and the campaign season has begun,” said Stephen Stepanek, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party and one of Trump’s campaign managers in the state in 2016. Trump announced that Stepanek will be the adviser senior of his campaign in the state.
Although Trump is the only one who has declared his presidential candidacy for 2024, other candidates are expected to do so in the coming months, among them the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis; former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina governor and Trump’s ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley.
In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster, Senator Lindsey Graham and several national legislators plan to attend the event in the governor’s office, but Trump’s team has struggled to win support from state legislators, including those who supported him in campaigns. previous.
Some have explained that, with more than a year to go before the primaries, it is not the time to give endorsements or that they wait to see who the other applicants are. Others have said it is time for the party to move past Trump and seek a new generation of leadership.
PA
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