Trump is set to campaign in New Hampshire and South Carolina on Saturday, amid growing Republican interest in elevating in increasingly interested new standard-bearers,
Former president Donald Trump is set to campaign in New Hampshire and South Carolina on Saturday, hitting the trail for the first time since launching his run to return to the White House while confronting growing Republican interest in elevating new standard-bearers.
Trump will be the keynote speaker at an annual meeting of the New Hampshire GOP midday Saturday, then head to Columbia, S.C., for an event billed as the announcement of his “leadership team” in the state. His appearances in two early-primary states — which will play an outsize role in the GOP race — effectively kick off the 2024 GOP campaign season, as many other Republicans take steps toward challenging Trump, though none have officially taken the plunge.
Saturday’s trip will serve as an early barometer of Trump’s support and his message. The former president will be stumping in two states where he triumphed in the 2016 primary, the last time there was an open race for the GOP nomination. But he has so far struggled to reignite the energy of previous runs and has until now foregone the usual barnstorming after a campaign kickoff. Some Republicans have been openly critical and many longtime allies are holding off on endorsements as a potentially crowded field takes shape, even as polls show Trump at or near the top.
“What campaign?” said Terry Sullivan, the campaign manager for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential run in 2016, when asked how he thought Trump’s first couple months were going. He pointed to Trump’s widely criticized dinner with the rapper Ye and Nick Fuentes, both known for their antisemitic views, as his most notable activity since announcing.
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump’s campaign, said in a statement the former president plans this weekend to “unveil his leadership teams, which will show the significant support he has from grassroots leaders to elected officials.” He added, “There is no one else who can generate enthusiasm and excitement like President Trump.”
Yet many Republicans are looking beyond the ex-president as public opinion surveys show that Ron DeSantis would be a formidable Trump challenger, with one finding the Florida governor leading Trump in the Granite State while other candidates trail far behind. The party’s disappointing losses in three straight elections also weigh on the minds of Republicans who blame Trump for elevating flawed and untested candidates who embraced his grievances and false claims in the midterms.
