Rep. Jim Jordan says he is backing former President Donald Trump “all the way” for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination.
Mr. Jordan, a longtime ally of Mr. Trump’s, declared his emphatic support for the former president during the National Rifle Association convention on Friday.
“No one has demonstrated that they will do what they said and get things done like he did, and he did it with everyone in that town against him. And that’s what I still respect about President Trump, and I’m for him all the way,” Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican, told Fox News Digital.
Several Republican heavyweights, including Mr. Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, spoke at the NRA’s annual convention in Indianapolis – providing a “who’s who” of potential GOP candidates as the 2024 field takes shape.
Mr. Trump set the tone of the event on Friday, vowing that “no one will lay a finger on your firearms” if he is elected in 2024.
“I just talked to Vice President Pence. Great guy … Gov. DeSantis, a great guy,” said Mr. Jordan, who also spoke at the convention. “When we formed the Freedom Caucus, there were nine of us. He was one of the nine. But I am 100% for President Trump.”
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Friday that he will not seek the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential race, ending speculation that he would challenge former President Donald Trump.
Mr. Pompeo said in a statement released on Friday that the timing is not right for him and his family, adding that the decision is “personal.”
The Democratic field is also taking shape.
President Biden said on Friday that he will announce his decision about 2024 “relatively soon,” reiterating that his plan is to run again.
Mr. Biden, 80, told reporters that he has already made his decision as he boarded Air Force One on his way back from a four-day visit to Ireland.
“I’ve already made that calculus, we’ll announce it relatively soon,” he said. “The trip here just reinforced my sense of optimism about what can be done.”
“I told you, my plan is to run again,” Mr. Biden said.
His plans have been the subject of growing speculation, amid low job-approval ratings and polls showing that even most Democratic voters want someone else to run for the party’s nomination next year. He is the oldest president in history.
Two Democratic challengers – Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – have so-far stepped forward to formally challenge Mr. Biden for their party’s nomination.
The White House has repeatedly said Mr. Biden intends to run, but the lack of a formal announcement has fueled speculation as to whether Democrats will need to put forward an alternative to take on former President Donald Trump, who has already formally declared his candidacy for 2024.
Mr. Biden has hinted he would relish a rematch against Mr. Trump.
The former president leads in the GOP primary field, according to early polling, but faces a slew of legal challenges.
Last month, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Mr. Trump on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to a porn actress dating back to before his election in 2016.
Mr. Trump has blasted the charges as a political ploy to derail his bid for the White House, and touted the millions of dollars in campaign donations he has raked in since the indictment.
Mr. Trump said on Tuesday that he doesn’t think Mr. Biden will run for reelection, despite his assurances that he intends to do so.
“I don’t see how it’s possible,” he said. “Look, I watch him just like you do. And I think it’s almost inappropriate for me to say it,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson. “But there’s something wrong.”
Source:Washington Times
