(Presidentialwire.com)- As the only person to have officially announced his candidacy for president in 2024 thus far, former President Donald Trump has the opportunity to get his campaign started.
Starting this weekend, Trump will start making stops in some of the early primary states, with New Hampshire first on the docket on Saturday. There, he’ll deliver a keynote address at the New Hampshire Republican Party’s annual meeting, which will be held in Salem.
It’s expected that hundreds of activists, elected officials and GOP party leaders will be attending the event. In a statement, Steve Stepnek, the chairman of the New Hampshire GOP, said they are “excited” for Trump to arrive, praising the former president for consistently advocating for New Hampshire to remain the first state in the country to hold a primary election, following the Iowa Caucuses.
After giving the keynote address at that meeting in New Hampshire, Trump will then head off to South Carolina, which is the next state on the primary election schedule. There, he’ll attend a more “intimate” event where he will also be joined by members of his campaign’s leadership team.
In addition to members of his campaign, Trump will be joined in South Carolina by Republican Governor Henry McMaster and Senator Lindsey Graham. The presence of those two powerful politicians will certainly be helpful as Trump looks to gain early inroads in the state.
The early primary states are certainly important in any run for president, but they could prove especially important for the 2024 election, given that there is some uncertainty about where the party’s voters stand. This is why it’s such a huge advantage for Trump to be able to officially campaign there this early, before he even knows who his challengers are.
In addition, Trump is making appearances in two states where potential challengers to him are from. That includes Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and former ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.
None of those people have officially announced their intentions yet, though Sununu said recently that people are encouraging him to run. Haley, for her part, has said she believes she could be exactly what the Republican Party needs in the White House.
In November, Trump officially launched his candidacy for president at an event held at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. During a speech he gave there, he said the greatest days in the U.S. are “just ahead” as long as his America First movement “remains united.”
Since that time, Trump hasn’t held many rallies, choosing instead to release videos on his Truth Social online platform as he prepares for bigger rallies and events in the months ahead.
In those videos, Trump has started to outline some of his policy platforms, which includes a plan to protect free speech, how he would take on drug cartels and how he would protect the America’s economic “Crown Jewels” from China.
