Former President Donald Trump said Sunday he does not see himself running for president again if he loses in November.
“No, I don’t think so. No, I don’t think so,” Trump responded when asked by Sharyl Attkisson, host of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s “Full Measure,” about running again. “I don’t see that at all. I think, I hope, we’re going to be successful,” he said.
With President Joe Biden withdrawing from the 2024 election, Trump is now the oldest presidential candidate in history, as age and mental acuity have become focal points of this year’s election cycle.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump greets supporters as he arrives to speak at a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum on September 18, 2024, in Uniondale, NY.
Alex Brandon/AP
During his third presidential campaign, Trump balanced his court appearances in the four criminal cases he faces with stops in his campaign.
When laying out the stakes of the 2024 election, Trump often underscores his point by describing the turmoil he and his campaign faced during the cycle.
“I didn’t need that. I had a very good life. I didn’t need to go through the courts and go through all the other hoops and run at the same time,” Trump told tech entrepreneur Elon Musk during a live chat in August, when asked why he decided to run again for president.
“But if I had to do it again, I would do it again, because it is much more important than me or my life.”
Trump was also asked about the possibility of Tulsi Gabbard or Robert F. Kennedy Jr., two former Democrats who have become Trump campaign surrogates, serving in his cabinet in a possible second administration and said he had made no promises to them.
“It doesn’t mean anything. It means it could be, but I haven’t made a deal with anybody,” Trump said when asked if Kennedy should serve as Health and Human Services secretary, as suggested by Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy’s former running mate. “It’s not appropriate to do that. It’s too early.”
Trump briefly spoke of unity after an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July, but now blames the rhetoric of Democrats for political violence.
“They are a danger. They are destroying our country,” Mr. Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
Trump reiterated once again that he believes only “important” presidents are in danger, as he discussed the sticky situation he experienced with a potential shooter at his Florida golf course last week.
“Well, I think we just have to do what we have to do,” he said, praising his Secret Service protection.
“I think I’ll feel safe, I think I’ll feel safe.”
“I can’t be afraid, because if you’re afraid you can’t do your job, so I just can’t be afraid. So far I’ve had someone to protect me,” he said.
