The former president participated in a wide-ranging interview aboard Trump Force One, a Boeing 757, on Monday night with Fox News Digital and four other reporters after teasing during a rally in Dayton, Ohio, that he plans to make a “major” announcement from Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 15, likely about launching his potential third presidential campaign.
The first thing Trump said he would do if he runs for president and wins in 2024 is “seal the borders and stop crime.”
But before that, Trump is calling for a change in GOP leadership in Congress, specifically pointing to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. He also warned potential Republican presidential candidates, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis, not to run against him in 2024, saying it “would be good for the party.”
TRUMP SAYS DEMOCRATS HAVE ‘GOOD CHANCE TO DO BIG’ ON ELECTION DAY
Reflecting on his administration from 2017 to 2021 and the people he tapped to serve in top Cabinet positions, Trump said, “I’ve never done that before.”
“Part of the problem was that I wasn’t a Washington person,” Trump said. “You have to rely on people — I had a lot of great people, but I had to rely on people who were RINOs.”
Former President Trump greets supporters during a campaign rally at Minden-Tahoe Airport on October 8, 2022 in Minden, Nevada. Trump held a campaign rally for Nevada’s GOP candidates ahead of the state’s Nov. 8 midterm elections. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“RINO” stands for “Republicans In Name Only” and is a term he applied to people he “relied on” early in his presidency, such as Chris Christie and Mike Pence, “who was a good man.”
Trump said both of his attorneys general — Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr — were his “two worst” choices, saying they were both “really bad.”
“Now I know them all,” Trump said. “See, I didn’t know anybody. I just got to Washington.”
TRUMP SAYS TO MAKE ‘BIG ANNOUNCEMENT’ ON NOVEMBER 15
In an exclusive November 2021 interview with Fox News Digital, Trump initially said he would “probably” wait until the 2022 midterm elections to formally announce whether he would launch another bid for the White House. Trump appears to be sticking to his original timetable.
Speculation surrounding a possible Trump announcement in 2024 has grown since the former president left the White House. Many potential GOP presidential candidates have been waiting in the wings for Trump to make his decision on whether to run, but the field of Republicans considering their own campaigns is crowded.
Names floating around include former Trump administration officials including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and others including Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley and Florida Governor Ron DeSandis .
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, and former President Trump
During a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend, Trump mocked DeSandis and referred to him as “Ron DeSantimonius,” which some suggested was a sign of growing tension between the two in 2024. The next day, Trump threw his support behind De Sandys, who is in a competitive race for governor, and urged voters to vote for him.
When asked if the two were in some kind of “tiff,” Trump replied, “There’s no question about me and I’m very high in the polls,” Trump said. “No there is not”.
Later in the interview, Trump said De Sandys is a “good guy.”
“I don’t know if he runs. I think if he does, he could hurt himself a lot. I really think he could hurt himself,” Trump said. “I think he would be wrong, I think the base wouldn’t like it — I don’t think it would be good for the party.”
“Any of those things are not good — you’ve got other people who are probably going to run, I guess,” he added. “I don’t know if it runs. If it runs, it runs.”
Trump did say that if De Sandys runs, “I would tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering — I know more about him than anybody — except maybe his wife.”
TRUMP MOCKS RON DESANCTIMONIOUS AT PENNSYLVANIA RALLY: ‘RON DESANCTIMONIOUS’
When asked if President Biden will run for re-election, Trump said: “I don’t think he is. It’s unthinkable.”
On rumors that former 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton might run for president again, Trump said he would welcome it.
“I hope so, it’s okay,” he said. “Look, we beat her. I think she’s a very bad candidate. Not everyone likes her and I have a very strong record that is very unbeatable.”
He added, “Whoever it is, it’s fine with me.”
Donald Trump, left, and Joe Biden. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images | Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Trump has been criticized for continuing to repeat claims that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” or “stolen” — comments that Democrats and possibly some Republicans could use against him in 2024.
Asked if he would continue to focus on the 2020 election, Trump told Fox News Digital, “I think I’ll always talk about it.”
“I think it energizes our base,” Trump said, predicting that if he stops talking about it, he could “lose a lot of votes. “I happen to think that, above all, it is true. It was a stolen election and it must not be allowed to happen again.”
TRUMP RAISES LANGUAGE AHEAD OF MID-TERM ELECTIONS THAT MARK 2024 WHITE HOUSE TERM, ADVISERS SAY
As for the 2022 midterm elections and his feelings toward Republicans in Congress, Trump said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has his support for the House speaker should the GOP take back the majority on Tuesday.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Trump also said he is endorsing Rep. Elise Stefanik, RN.Y., for chair of the GOP convention.
“I think she’s fantastic,” Trump said.
However, in the Senate, Trump criticized Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kyiv, calling him a “lousy leader.”
“People are very upset with Mitch McConnell — I’ll tell you who is upset with him — the public,” Trump said, noting that he endorsed him this cycle after McConnell “begged” him.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“I think we’re probably going to have to live with it for two years,” Trump said. “And if I go down and if I win, I’ll say, don’t send me any law if he’s the leader and he’s out in two minutes.”
Trump said Republican Sen. Rick Scott could be a “possible candidate,” calling him a “very talented guy” who is “very underrated.”
“I think Rick Scott is a possible candidate — he hates the guy,” Trump said, referring to Scott’s feelings about McConnell.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) speaks during a news conference about inflation on Capitol Hill on May 26, 2021 in Washington, DC (Drew Angerer)
“He’s tough — he’s tough and I think he probably would,” Trump said. “He would have a lot of support.”
“McConnell has been very bad for our nation,” Trump said. “He was very bad for the Republican Party. I would have gone for somebody else — McConnell did a very bad job.”
Trump touted his administration’s record, including securing the southern border, cutting taxes, rebuilding the U.S. military, responding to COVID, creating vaccines under Operation Warp Speed and “100% victory of ISIS”.
Trump also pointed to his “America First” foreign policy, stressing that the war in Ukraine would not have happened under his presidency and criticizing Biden’s performance.
Former President Trump pauses as he speaks at a rally Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, in Florence, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
“We have somebody who is going to lead us into a nuclear war,” Trump said. “We would never have had the Ukrainian problem.”
BIDEN PREPARING FOR POSSIBILITY OF RE-ELECTION 2024 IMMEDIATE
Trump backed his efforts to get NATO countries to pay their fair share of defense and strengthen trade deals abroad.
He pointed to the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019 and top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike in Baghdad in 2020.
The former president was also asked if he has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu since his re-election last week.
President Trump then welcomes visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in Washington, Monday, March 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
“I was disappointed with Bibi because nobody did more for Israel than me and he was the first to call Joe Biden and congratulate him,” Trump said. “No president has done more for Israel – the Golan Heights, the embassy for Jerusalem, and the biggest of the two is ending the nuclear destruction of Iran – that’s bigger than both of them – and I’ve done other things as well ».
“But I like Bibi,” he added.
Trump also discussed the “Russia farce” and the weaponization of the Justice Department — specifically in regards to the Trump-Russia investigation.
“I did the right thing in the shooting [FBI Director James] Comey,” Trump said, “If I didn’t fire him, a lot of people said if I didn’t fire Comey, that was a coup attempt.”
FLASHBACK: TRUMP TO ‘PROBABLY’ ANNOUNCE 2024 PLANS AFTER MIDWIVES: ‘A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL BE VERY HAPPY’
Special counsel John Durham is still investigating the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation after special counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion or collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Looking ahead, Trump’s “major” announcement from Mar-a-Lago will come a week after the midterm elections.
Former President Trump speaks to supporters at a rally to support local candidates on Sept. 3,…
