On the tail end of the midterm elections, former president Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. The 45th president and capitol insurrectionist, Trump had been planning his climb back to power after his attempts of overturning the 2020 election failed.  In an hour-long speech at his Mar-a-lago home on November 15, 2022, Trump, 76, addressed many key issues for republican voters; but this campaign is on the heels of a lackluster midterm for Trump-backed candidates. 

The content of the speech was grandiose in nature, touting the great things Trump did for America, only for the Biden administration to pull the country into dark times. Among these boasts, corporate tax cuts, strict immigration policy, and religious freedom initiatives. While true, these are decisive issues for many Americans. The speech included him praising his administration’s response for their Covid-19 pandemic, and insulting the work of Joe Biden and the Democratic party. As well as speaking about the Republican victory in the house of representatives, and Trump-backed candidate, Kevin Kiley; one of few trump-backed candidates that won their race.  In many regards, Trump’s announcement was a pared down edition of the rhetoric he has used throughout the past four years. Taking an “America- first” stance, and continuing to back conspiracy theories, if subtly. 

Addressing the misinformation in the former president’s announcement is critical to understanding the potential impacts his campaign will have on the next election. Undeniably, Trump pointed out things that his time in office accomplished, but they were often punctuated with incorrect or incomplete information. One of the most crucial was Trump’s statement about climate change. In discussing how America was not a respectable nation, the former president stated that nuclear weapons were a far bigger threat, and that the time spent on climate change was poorly allotted. He claimed: “They say the ocean will rise 1⁄8 of an inch over the next 200-300 years.” Statistics prove this wrong, as the U.S. National Ocean Service states that sea level along the U.S. coastline is expected to rise 10-12 inches on average over the next 30 years. Climate change is a pressing issue, and to ignore it would be to allow the current effects it has on the nation to compound. Moreover, Trump was accused to have lied about inflation, filling up the countries oil reserves, terrorism, war and American conflict with ISIS under his administration, the Mexico/America border, and more. However, he tiptoed around the 2020 election, not directly stating that it was stolen and only implying that China had meddled in it. Which is once again, false. 

This is a big deal for the Republican party, as the Florida governor gains traction as a potential candidate to rival Trump. After losing many key endorsements in the midterms this year, Trump, his conspiracy theories, and history of impeachment and insurrections give him a steep climb to the Republican party’s nomination in the 2024 presidential election.