VANDALIA, OHIO – Former President Donald Trump said Monday that he will make a “big announcement” next week, fueling speculation that he is planning a 2024 presidential run.
Trump teased the announcement at an Ohio rally where he joined forces with Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance in a final push for Vance’s campaign.
“I am going to be making a big announcement on Tuesday, November 15, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida,” Trump said towards the end of his remarks at Dayton International Airport.
“We want nothing to detract from the importance of tomorrow,” he added, referring to Tuesday’s midterm elections. Democrats’ control of both the House and Senate hangs in the balance.
Reports circulated earlier Monday that Trump was mulling announcing a 2024 run at Monday’s rally, although unnamed sources said the decision was not final. Trump currently leads potential rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, including his closest competitor, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump beats DeSantis 49% to 25% in a hypothetical primary matchup, according to a July poll.
Trump teased a 2024 announcement over the weekend as well, telling a Miami crowd on Sunday night, “I will probably have to do it again, but stay tuned.”
“Hold On I’m Coming” played as Trump left the stage after his remarks.
At Monday’s rally, Trump called on Ohio voters to vote for Vance, whom he endorsed back in April during the primary. Since then, he has appeared with Vance at several campaign rallies.
“If you want to stop the destruction of our country and save the American dream then you must vote Republican in a giant red wave that we’ve been hearing about,” Trump said.
Vance, a venture capitalist who first became known through his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” is running on a platform of being a “conservative outsider” who “knows what it’s like to live in a left-behind community” and will fight for average Americans.
“When we get to Washington, D.C., Republicans, we need to govern like we won the majority the American people gave us, not like a bunch of cowards,” Vance told the crowd.
“No more RINOs [Republicans In Name Only], no more people who compromise and lose our country in the process,” Vance said.
“Let’s make this country great again!” he said.
Vance leads his Democratic opponent, Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, by 8 points as of Tuesday, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls. He took the lead over Ryan after facing him in a pair of debates in October.
In their first debate, Ryan attempted to paint Vance as part of a fringe element, saying he is “running around with the election deniers, the extremists.”
Vance responded that Ryan was focused on the wrong concerns.
“I find it interesting how preoccupied you are with this at a time when people can’t afford groceries,” Vance said from the debate stage.
Monday’s rally was held at the Wright Bros. Aero Inc., a fixed base operator at the airport. Trump held campaign rallies there in both 2016 and 2020. Rallygoers began arriving as early as 10 am, even though Vance and Trump were not scheduled to speak until after 6 pm. The crowd remained enthusiastic for several hours, even as the sun set and temperatures dropped into the 40s.
Several other speakers delivered remarks, including Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH), Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), and Ohio GOP congressional candidates J.R. Majewski and Max Miller.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R), who is also endorsed by Trump, was also in attendance.
The vibe was upbeat as candidates wound down their campaigns by calling on rallygoers to vote and encourage their friends to do the same.
The Ohio Senate election is one of several closely watched Senate races this election cycle, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.
