(LifeSiteNews) – Former President Donald Trump acknowledged this week that hypothetical bad news about his health could convince him to sit out the 2024 presidential election, while strongly hinting yet again that he intends to run.
“You always have to talk about health. You look like you’re in good health, but tomorrow, you get a letter from a doctor saying come see me again. That’s not good when they use the word again,” Trump told the Washington Post Thursday, acknowledging he had told advisers his health would factor into a final 2024 decision.
Trump, 75, is not currently known to have any serious medical issues, but he would be 78 by the time he began a hypothetical second term as president, the same age President Joe Biden was when he entered office as the oldest man to become commander-in-chief, and the same age President Ronald Reagan was when he left office. Reagan faced questions about his mental acuity by the end of his second term; Biden has faced such questions since before his election.
“I don’t want to comment on running, but I think a lot of people are going to be very happy by my decision,” Trump added, echoing numerous prior comments he has made hinting at a re-election bid. “Because it’s a little boring now.” He also said that if he were to run he “can’t imagine” that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis or Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would run against him in a GOP primary.
Trump continues to enjoy an intensely loyal base of supporters, as well as many who believe he deserves another chance at a victory they feel he was cheated out of due to vote fraud and media suppression of damaging information about Biden. Others, however, have soured on Trump due to his mixed handling of conservative priorities such as judicial nominees and reforming federal agencies, and his continued advocacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.