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After the lackluster Republican midterm results, attention has begun to turn to Donald Trump’s highly anticipated 2024 campaign announcement. After repeatedly hinting that he would make a third run for the presidency as he campaigned for Republican candidates – many of whom have underperformed during the midterms – Mr Trump confirmed on Thursday that he would make a “special announcement”. Follow live updates on Trump’s announcement on our live blog. The strategy has been widely criticized by Republicans, with growing reports that party leaders are unsuccessfully pleading with Trump to stop the announcement. However, Mr Trump plans to finalize his plans during a prime-time announcement on Tuesday. Here’s everything we know about the expected announcement: What time is Trump expected to make his “special announcement”? The former president’s event will take place at 9pm EST on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago Club. What is Trump announcing? Jason Miller, a longtime Trump adviser, told former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon on Friday that he had spoken with Trump and that he “of course” planned to run for president in 2024. Mr. Miller added that Trump ” set on fire” for the match. “President Trump is set to announce on Tuesday that he is running for president. And it will be a very professional, very buttoned-down announcement,” Mr. Miller said. Mr Miller said “all the details are being covered” and 1,000 people are expected to attend. He also noted that “250 cameras have already requested access.” “They’re building extra risers to make sure they have overflow capacity,” Mr. Miller continued. “So people are wondering, ‘Hey, this is coming too fast.’ These guys are professionals, these guys are ready to go. I personally did the checklist with them this morning. That will be fine.” Where can the announcement be broadcast? According to Mr Miller, more than 250 cameras have requested access to the event, meaning national channels will likely cover it. The cable network C-SPAN, which televises high-profile proceedings of the federal government, has already set up an online streaming link for the event here. The Independent will also stream Mr Trump’s remarks live on Facebook and Twitter. Why is the GOP asking Trump to stop the announcement? Republican leaders reportedly asked Trump to delay his announcement, at least until after a Senate runoff between Raphael Warnock and Republican Herchel Walker in Georgia. The second round will be held on December 6. Re-elected New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu openly criticized Trump’s strategy during a radio interview. “He’s going to take advantage of the opportunity [Herschel] Walker to win in Georgia in his runoff,” Mr. Sununu told The Hill on Friday. “I think what the former president doesn’t understand is if he announces … he’s not going to keep anybody out of the race.” He continued: “But nobody else is going to announce until the summer or fall for a number of fundraising reasons and all that. So it’s going to be a very awkward thing with just him in the race.” Former White House press secretary and Fox contributor Kayleigh McEnany also raised concerns about a potential presidential announcement in an edition of Outnumbered last week. “I know there’s a temptation to start talking about 2024. No, no, no, no, no,” Ms McEnany said. “2022 is not over. Any Republican action must stop the Biden agenda, and that could go right through the state of Georgia.” Who could be Trump’s biggest challenger during the Republican primaries? Mr Trump has raised concerns that re-elected Florida Governor Ron DeSandis is “playing games” by not shutting down speculation about his potential 2024 presidential bid. In an undisclosed statement via TruthSocial on Thursday, Trump blamed the GOP, falsely claiming that it saved DeSantis’ campaign in 2018 and more recently had sent in the FBI to protect DeSantis from defeat in key counties where voter fraud was allegedly taking place . U.S. President Donald Trump introduces Florida Governor Ron DeSandis during a campaign homecoming at the BB&T Center on November 26, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Getty Images) Republicans lost the Senate and are expected to control the House by only a narrow margin after predicting a red wave in the midterm elections that did not materialize. Growing media coverage and reports from Republican leaders point to Mr. DeSantis as one of the party’s most prominent figures and a possible strong contender in the Republican primary. Mr. DeSantis has not confirmed whether he plans to run for president.
