Why Trump Might Not Run for Re-Election

Will he, or won’t he? Donald Trump’s potential revenge tour in 2024 is on everyone’s mind, as speculation mounts on whether the former President will seek the Presidency again in just 2 years. For his part, Trump has remained coy, often stating his supporters “will be happy,” without publicly committing to running again. For some, Trump’s deflections reflect his uncertainty on whether he could actually win again.

One such person is Joshua Bernstein, an opinion columnist for Bloomberg who recently examined reasons why Trump might not decide to run again.

“…for me, it’s less one big thing than many, many small ones,” Bernstein opines.

One of which being Trump’s electoral record in office, the other being the fall-out from his post 2020 election gambit:

…after all, he lost re-election, and Republicans lost the House (in 2018) and the Senate (in 2020) while he was in office. His tantrum over losing the presidency and his false claims about fraud have widely been credited for the loss of two Senate seats in Georgia.

Perhaps his legal troubles could interfere with a potential run, suggest Bernstein. But that’s not all:

Or that he’s less interested in being president again than he is in extracting money from Republican donors, a process that might be disrupted if he formally declared a run for office.

While implying that the former President is more interested in fleecing his supporters than serving his country in office is quite a charge to make, Bernstein is just one of many voices who don’t believe Trump will actually seek re-election.

Another is one of Trump’s former Chiefs of Staff, retired Marine General John Kelly. Kelly told The Atlantic that Trump couldn’t be seen again as a “loser.” Saying further, that Trump will likely keep dragging the process out as long as possible for the press coverage:

“Imagine what would happen if he said, ‘After careful consideration, I won’t be a candidate in 2024.’ You can hear the spotlight switches turning off. He’ll talk about it [running for president again] right up until the point when he doesn’t.”

While their professional relationship ended acrimoniously, Kelly has insight into Trump’s thinking that few have access to, and his opinion is certainly worth noting.

Others, like The Hill contributor, Myra Adams, try playing the part of psychoanalyst asserting that Trump’s deep-seated pathologies will keep him from running. “…My new answer is ‘Trump won’t run in 2024’ — based on personality traits rooted in the words “fear” and “fight.” Trump’s “authoritarian” father created a monster who is too afraid to lose, and as a result, “King Trump” will also be unwilling to fight for what is rightfully his, or so he believes.

Attempts to play Freud be damned, no one truly knows what’s running through the mind of Donald Trump. His 2024 status will likely continue to be subject of op-eds, speculation, and innuendo until the day he makes his intentions known once and for all.


Grassroots Pulse covers public policy and political issues aimed at engaging highly-active policy makers, donors, and grassroots leaders at the forefront of the political process in America today.

Image Credit: Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

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