Former US president Donald Trump has told Republican donors that their party can again dominate American politics for generations to come, but only if it champions mail-in voting and other electoral strategies. The comments came during the first public engagement of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign at a retreat organised by the Republican National Committee. Trump has notably shifted his position on mail-in voting this year, having criticised it heavily in the wake of last year’s election, which he lost to Joe Biden. However, he has continued to claim that the vote was stolen from him despite a lack of evidence.
Trump also outlined a number of policy promises he would enact should he return to power, including ending the Ukraine-Russia war, destroying cartel networks, and “obliterating” the so-called “deep state” of government institutions hostile to his agenda. He also promised to sign executive orders to halt federal funding for schools teaching critical race theory and “inappropriate” sexual content, and to outlaw sex change procedures on children. Many of these pledges echo policy objectives cited in Trump’s Presidential campaigns of 2016 and 2020.
The former president’s statements follow reports of dissent among Republican donors towards Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ potential candidacy for the 2024 nomination. Trump remains a frontrunner for the nomination, despite his previous failures to overturn the 2020 election results and his party’s subsequent loss of both the presidency and control of the Senate. However, recent polling data suggests that Trump’s support among Republicans has weakened slightly since his departure from office in January. The 2024 primary cycle is expected to begin in less than a year’s time, with the Iowa Caucus set for January 2024.
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