Trump Seeking Second Term to Avoid Criminal Investigations, Argues With Advisers About When to Announce: Report
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Former President Donald Trump is seeking a second term in office in order to take advantage of benefits he believes will shield him from criminal probes, Rolling Stone reported.
The publication cited sources reportedly close to the country’s 45th president, who said he is also at odds with his advisers about when he should announce a second bid.
According to the sources, Trump’s reasoning is the office will give him legal protection from investigations he believes are motivated by politics.
The sources also claimed Trump has threatened to announce a bid before the November midterms, but has been talked out of it. Rolling Stone reported:
Trump has ‘spoken about how when you are the president of the United States, it is tough for politically motivated prosecutors to ‘get to you,’ says one of the sources, who has discussed the issue with Trump this summer.
He says when [not if] he is president again, a new Republican administration will put a stop to the [Justice Department] investigation that he views as the Biden administration working to hit him with criminal charges — or even put him and his people in prison.
Rolling Stone‘s sources said Trump believes he would benefit from picking the country’s attorney general.
He has also reportedly argued with those in his inner circle about when to announce a third bid for the White House.
According to the report, Trump’s advisers believe if he announces a presidential bid before the midterms, it could hurt Republicans and take the focus off of President Joe Biden. Rolling Stone reported:
The former president is motivated to announce early — even before Election Day 2022 — in the hopes of clearing the field of primary rivals. But GOP leaders, including some of Trump’s closest advisors, don’t want him to declare his intentions until after the midterm elections.
The GOP wants to keep voters focused on President Joe Biden, rather than transforming the contest into a referendum on Trump. In recent months, Trump has reluctantly agreed to hold off, only to return shortly thereafter with threats to make an early announcement, either out of self-interest, spite, or some combination of the two.
