Donald Trump has said he is more “angry and committed” than ever as he kicked off his 2024 White House campaign. The 76-year-old stopped off in New Hampshire before heading to South Carolina. The Granite State and Palmetto State will both open early for voting when the Republican Party officially starts its primary race.
Speaking at the New Hampshire Grand Old Party’s (GOP) annual meeting, Mr Trump said: “We’re starting right here as a candidate for President.”
He added: “I’m more angry now and I’m more committed now than I ever was.”
New Hampshire’s outgoing GOP chair Stephen Stepney, who will serve as a senior adviser on Trump’s campaign in the Granite State, also claimed: “The gun is fired, and the campaign season has started.”
Mr Trump officially launched his third successive White House bid in Mar-a-Lago on November 15.
However, while other potential conservative candidates have kept their powder dry, several leading Republicans have been tipped to enter the race.
JUST IN: Donald Trump’s 2024 bid gets off to ‘unusual’ start as GOP holds out for Republican rivals
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ex-Vice President Mike Pence and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley are expected to get their respective campaigns underway in the coming months.
Trump will be joined at South Carolina’s State House in Columbia by Governor Henry McCaster, Senator Lindsey Graham and several members of the state’s congressional delegation.
The 45th POTUS’ campaign team reportedly struggled to convince other GOP officials to attend the event, including those who early backed Mr Trump’s previous White House bids.
Some Republicans claim it is too early to endorse any candidate as primary balloting is still more than a year away and other challengers could enter the contest.
Others argue it is time for the GOP to move past Trump to a new generation of leadership.
READ MORE: Ex-Trump aides hatch plan to stop 45th POTUS’ White House return
She added: “It’s only going to be greater than it was before because there are so many people who are angry about what’s happening in Washington.”
Critics have also suggested Mr Trump’s campaign has got off to a sluggish start off the back of an underwhelming set of midterm results.
But Mr Stepanek said: “You have a lot of people who weren’t with him in ‘15, ’16, then became Trumpers, then became never-Trumpers.
“But the people who supported him in New Hampshire, who propelled him to his win in 2016 in the New Hampshire primary, they’re all still there, waiting for the President.”
*This story has not been edited by The Infallible staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.
