Trump launches 2024 U.S. presidential bid

Former U.S President Donald Trump has launched a bid to regain the presidency in 2024. The Tuesday announcement aims to pre-empt potential Republican rivals.

The outspoken billionaire businessman who lost in his quest for re-election to Joe Biden has mounted relentless attacks on the integrity of U.S. voting since his 2020. 

Trump made his announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida a week after midterm elections in which Republicans failed to win as many seats in Congress as they had hoped. With his announcement, he is seeking a potential rematch with Biden.  

"In order to make America great again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States," Trump said to the phone-waving crowd, which included family members, donors and former staffers.

But Trump steered clear of the name-calling that has marked other public appearances, opting instead for a critique of Biden's presidency and a review of what he said were the policy achievements of his own time in office.

"Two years ago we were a great nation and soon we will be a great nation again," he said.

Trump laid out familiar dark themes from his playbook, denouncing migrants - "We're being poisoned" - and portraying American cities as crime-ridden "cesspools of blood."

Although he assailed the U.S. election process, Trump did not use his speech to revive his false claims of massive voter fraud in 2020 and did not mention the violent attempt by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's victory.

On a trip to Indonesia, Biden said "not really" when asked if he had a reaction to Trump's announcement. On Twitter, he posted a video criticizing Trump's record in office.

But there is a long road ahead before the Republican nominee is formally selected in the summer of 2024.