‘Deal With FBI Stuff First’: Trump Reportedly Mulls Delaying 2024 Run Announcement Amid Legal Woes

Donald Trump has not yet stated whether he will be tossing his name for the 2024 White House race, albeit recent reports have suggested the former commander-in-chief is readying his bid. US President Joe Biden is reportedly to announce his plans on a second run after the November midterms.

Ex-president Donald Trump is considering waiting until after the November midterm elections before announcing a 2024 run for the white House as he seeks to navigate legal concerns, CNN cited sources as saying.

While initially setting his sights on the weekend of Labor Day (September 5) for launching his presidential campaign, Trump has allegedly been advised to reassess that timeline. Advisers are believed to have plied diverse arguments as they urged Donald Trump to delay a campaign announcement.

‘Deal With FBI Stuff First’

Some advisers have strongly advised Donald Trump’s team to give undivided attention to the legal fallout from the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago estate.

"Everyone was operating under the assumption that shortly after Labor Day would be the best possible time to launch, but that has changed and he's being told to deal with the FBI stuff first," a Trump adviser said.

In the immediate days after the FBI raided Trump’s Florida residence on August 8, the former president was inundated with calls from allies urging him to announce his bid for president.

The surge of support for Trump among both grassroots supporters and top Republicans was described as “so hot" at the time by a Trump ally.

But as new details emerge relating to the classified records Trump was apparently keeping at Mar-a-Lago, some advisers have urged the ex-president to put the 2024 announcement on hold. The FBI warrant, unsealed earlier in August, revealed three possible federal crimes as reason for the raid: violations of the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice and criminal handling of government records.

In a court filing on August 30 the Justice Department said documents were "likely concealed and removed" from a storage room at Mar-a-Lago as part of an effort to "obstruct" the FBI's investigation.

Trump, who has not been charged with a crime, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

November Midterms

Some advisers were cited as saying that the 45th POTUS would be more likely to be blamed for any potential losses in the November midterms if he becomes a candidate before the polls.

Republicans were widely viewed as the favorites to take control of the Senate after the crucial US midterm elections this November. They only need to flip one seat to regain the majority in the upper chamber, given the current 50-50 split. However, the recent succession of Democratic legislative victories have prompted some election forecasters to reconsider their predictions. Trump-backed Senate candidates in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Arizona are struggling to outshine their Democratic opponents, polls show. Accordingly, a pre-midterm announcement would be ‘weaponized’ by Democrats, Trump confidants are claimed to have warned.

"There is a direct tie if Trump becomes a campaign ad in November and Republicans lose the Senate, and the last thing he wants is to be blamed," an ex- Trump campaign aide said.

Republicans are said to be increasingly concerned that the “red wave” the GOP had anticipated in the midterms might not happen. Republicans had started nurturing such ambitions after Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin won Virginia’s hotly contested gubernatorial election, defeating Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in the blue-leaning state. Furthermore, the GOP came close to winning the governor's race in New Jersey. Democrat Phil Murphy was reelected in an extremely tight race, defeating Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli.

Political and legal concerns have been putting pressure on the ex-POTUS, reportedly leaving him jittery about prematurely ‘diving into the 2024 primary,’ according to nine former and current Trump aides. However, according to former Trump campaign aide Bryan Lanza, “There's no urgency because he's not going to be outshined by someone else."

Not everyone in Donald Trump’s inner circle has been convinced that delaying the 2024 bid is the right move. Political and legal concerns were dismissed as "excuses" by one source close to Trump, arguing that the former President is already being blamed for the changing dynamics in the midterm forecast.

"They are going to blame him no matter what, so he should just announce," the insider said.

As for Trump himself, he reportedly recently told allies he doesn't think he will face a formidable challenger in the 2024 GOP primary.

"He's up to his eyeballs in legal troubles but that hasn't stopped him from totally relishing this," said another source.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan are some of the likeliest primary rivals Trump could face if he does run again in 2024.

As for the fallout from the FBI raid, one adviser suggested that an indictment of Trump by the Biden administration "would be beneficial" at this juncture, adding, "It would just appear too partisan at this point."

Donald Trump has repeatedly blasted what he called a politically motivated "witch hunt" and railed against the FBI and Biden on his social media platform, Truth Social.

"Right now, it's a question of whether he wants to turn everything political or gain some legal stability to make sure everything turns out OK before taking that next step," one Trump adviser stated.

President Joe Biden himself has stated that he intends to run again for the 2024 presidential election, though his WH bid has not officially been made.