Spokespersons for former President Donald Trump on Thursday elaborated on his campaign strategy weeks after he announced a third White House bid.
Since Trump’s presidential announcement at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, reports indicate that the former president has not left his home state of Florida to campaign.
“We are not going to play into the media’s game, where they are trying to dictate how we campaign,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Yahoo News in response to questions about the contest. The outlet highlighted several legal setbacks for Trump, his meeting with rapper Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago last month, and Republicans performing more poorly than anticipated during the 2022 midterm elections.
“This is a marathon, and our game plan is being implemented, even though the presidential calendar hasn’t been set yet and the 2022 midterm cycle just ended,” Cheung said. “We’re focused on building out the operation and putting in place a foundation to wage an overwhelming campaign that’s never been seen before. We’re building out teams in early voting states and making sure we are positioned to win.”
Trump on Nov. 15 became the first Republican to declare candidacy for the 2024 presidential contest. No other Republicans have announced presidential bids so far.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have all indicated in recent weeks that they are likely to go ahead with campaigns despite Trump’s announcement. There has been speculation that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would also launch a presidential campaign, but so far, DeSantis has remained mum.
Since then, Trump has often posted on his Truth Social platform, namely about various investigations. In August, the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago property and recovered documents, which Trump on Friday again wrote “was illegal,” adding: “Everything should be returned, at once!”
And earlier this week, the Trump Organization was convicted of tax fraud, falsifying business records, and conspiracy during a trial in New York City. The organization faces fines of up to $1.6 million at an upcoming sentencing hearing.
“It is a continuation of the Greatest Political Witch Hunt in the History of our Country,” Trump said in response to the conviction, adding that he will appeal the verdict. “New York City is a hard place to be “Trump.’”
Cash
A leading super PAC aligned with Trump, Maga Inc., has about $55 million cash on hand, it told Fox News on Thursday. The super PAC, or political action committee, reported bringing in $40 million in contributions between Oct. 20 and Nov. 28, with most funding coming from Trump’s Save America committee.
Taylor Budowich, a former Trump spokesman who now heads MAGA Inc., told Fox News that it is investing in analysis, communications, and research. The Epoch Times has contacted him for comment.
“MAGA Inc is in a position to make sure President Trump has the resources and support he needs for a commanding win in November 2024,” the committee said. “As the race develops, we will ensure every career politician … who decides to take on our MAGA movement is vetted and exposed. And we will continue to highlight his accomplishments of President Trump and the reasons why he is the only person positioned to Save America.”
Budowich added to the outlet that Trump is “building one of the most ruthless and talented teams in American politics, and he is the only person in the country who is ready and capable of reversing America’s decline.”
Over the years, Trump has shown a great ability to fundraise online via small-dollar donations compared with other GOP candidates. Even after leaving office in January 2021, the former president has remained highly popular among Republican voters. Reports indicated that he used about $15 million to support Senate candidates in Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
For the Georgia runoff race earlier this week, Trump notably did not make in-personal campaign appearances alongside GOP nominee Herschel Walker, who ultimately lost to Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and later conceded.
“If Walker had won today, everyone would be giving (Georgia Gov.) Brian Kemp the credit,” Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign associate, told Yahoo News this week. “I’d say it was a loss for Kemp and (Senate Minority Leader) Mitch McConnell—they went all in on this,” he added.
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