Trump says he’s ‘more angry’ and ‘more committed’ to White House bid as he breaks his campaign trail hiatus

By Kate Sullivan and Gabby Orr, CNN

Former President Donald Trump said Saturday he’s “more committed” to winning back the White House than ever before as he hit the campaign trail for the first time since announcing a third presidential bid in November.

Appearing in New Hampshire before a second stop in South Carolina, Trump said he was “more angry” about the direction of the country and vowed to return to the first-in-the-nation primary state “many, many more times” as he looks to replicate his first-place finish in the Granite State in 2016.

“This is it,” Trump told members of the New Hampshire GOP at their annual meeting in Salem. “We’re starting right here as a candidate for president.”

His campaign later sent out a fundraising email declaring that “no other candidate is working this early to win every last vote,” and touting himself as “the first Republican presidential candidate to campaign in the two early primary states.” At his first stop of the day, Trump announced that outgoing New Hampshire GOP Chairman Stephen Stepanek will be added to his campaign as a senior adviser.

Stepanek co-chaired Trump’s first presidential campaign before becoming the top GOP official in New Hampshire, serving two terms. He joins Trump’s team as the three-time presidential contender faces waning support among state officials who are looking for a fresh face to top their party’s ticket.

Trump on Saturday defended his monthslong hiatus from the trail, decrying media coverage that raised questions about his campaign’s sluggish start with him remaining in Florida since launching his bid in November. He insisted his 2024 campaign isn’t playing “prevent defense,” referring to a strategy used in American football by a team with the lead late in a game.

“They said, ‘He’s not doing rallies, maybe he’s lost that step.’ I’m more angry now and I’m more committed now than I ever was,” Trump said.

In New Hampshire, Trump also touted his new proposal to eliminate federal funding for schools that “push critical race theory or left-wing gender ideology” and to have parents elect school principals, a plan he referred to as “the ultimate form of local control.”

Second stop of the day

Meanwhile, a who’s who of campaign aides and allies were set to be on hand for Trump’s second campaign stop Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina, including senior advisers Brian Jack and Chris LaCivita and former White House social media director Dan Scavino.

With his podium stationed beneath the Statehouse rotunda and flanked by American flags, the event had all the trappings of a presidential event. It was deliberately chosen to appear that way by the Trump team, which has hoped to capitalize on their candidate’s unique position as a former president, particularly as he prepares to draw challengers in the coming weeks — including, possibly, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Just across the hallway from Trump’s announcement was the South Carolina House chamber, whose Republican members have approached the former president’s 2024 campaign with a mix of glee and apprehension.

While some have eagerly embraced his bid, others told CNN before the Saturday event that they were waiting to see how the GOP primary field takes shape, especially if Haley and Sen. Tim Scott — two native South Carolinians who are exploring their own White House runs — decide to take on the former president. Haley, who recently relocated her top aides to Charleston, is said to be weighing the timing of a campaign launch at this point, not wanting to be the first one to take on Trump by herself.

Trump won the South Carolina primary by 10 points in 2016, a feat he hopes to achieve again this cycle. Still, Trump’s chief potential rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is already working to cultivate his own allies in the state, according to one person familiar with the outreach.

“He has a very tight-knit group already established, and they are making calls talking him up,” this person said. 

Trump continues to be investigated by the Department of Justice, and special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing the criminal probes into the retention of classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and into parts of the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol. Both investigations implicate the conduct of Trump.

Trump’s Saturday campaign events come in the wake of recent revelations that classified documents were also found at locations tied to both Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a separate special counsel to take over the investigation into the Obama-era classified documents found at Biden’s home and former private office.

Earlier this week, Facebook parent company Meta announced it would restore Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks, just over two years after suspending him in the wake of the January 6 attack.

This story and headline have been updated.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.