Donald Trump announces 2024 presidential run, promises to defeat 'radical left Democrats'
Washington (PTI): Former US president Donald Trump has announced that he will run for the US president in 2024 to make America "great and glorious" again, vowing to defeat the "radical left Democrats" that are trying to destroy the country from within.
Trump, seeking a potential rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden, made the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday, a week after midterm elections in which Republicans failed to win as many seats in Congress as they had hoped for.
"In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing that I will run for President of the United States. This will be our campaign altogether," Trump, 76, told his cheering supporters.
"I am your voice," he said, asserting that he will ensure that US President Biden is not re-elected in 2024.
Shortly before making the announcement from his resort in Florida, in front of some 400 invited guests, Trump, 76, filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
"I am running because I believe the world has not yet seen the true glory of what this nation can be. We have not reached that pinnacle, believe it or not," Trump said.
"This campaign will be about issues, vision and success and we will not stop, we will not quit until we've achieved the highest goals and made our country greater than it has ever been before. We can do this. We can do this," he said.
Incumbent President Biden, who turns 80 on November 20, has said that he intends to run but would take a final decision during the Christmas-New Year vacation. This is Trump's third bid at the White House. He won in 2016 in his maiden attempt to defeat the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton but lost to Biden in 2020.
"Are you getting ready? And I am too," Trump told his supporters, noting that his Republican Party did not do as well as it should have while emphasising that the Republican candidates supported by him had a better strike rate.
The United States is going through tough times, he said, acknowledging that this is not going to be an easy task.
"Together we will be taking on the most corrupt forces and entrenched interests. Our country is being destroyed before your very eyes," he said.
During his speech, Trump listed out the accomplishments of his 2016-2020 presidency and urged his countrymen to unite.
"Success was greater than this country has ever had. We were leapfrogging China, leapfrogging everybody else and everybody wanted to be something," he said.
"So, from now until election day in 2024, I will fight like no one has ever fought before. We will defeat the radical left Democrats that are trying to destroy our country from within," he said.
Trump lashed out at the Biden administration.
"Joe Biden is the face of the left-wing," he alleged.
The United States cannot take another four years of Biden.
"It can only take so much," he said.
"Our victory will be built upon big Ideas, bold ambitions and daring dreams for America's future. We need daring dreams," he said.
"The radical left Democrats have embraced an extreme ideology of government domination and control. Our approach is the opposite one, based on freedom values, individual responsibility and just plain common sense," Trump said.
"We will again put America First," he said, adding that other countries must pay to come into the American market.
Trump took a dig at Chinese President Xi Jinping and described him as the president for life.
"On day one, we will end Joe Biden's war on American energy," he promised.
The socialist disaster known as the 'Green New Deal', which is destroying the country, and the many crippling regulations that it has spawned will be immediately terminated so that the United States can again breathe, grow and thrive as it should, he said.
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Airlines got 999 hoax bomb threats till Nov 14 this year; 256 FIRs filed: Govt
New Delhi, Nov 28: Airlines received 999 hoax bomb threats this year till November 14 and as many as 256 FIRs have been filed while guidelines have been issued by aviation security regulator BCAS for objective assessment of threats, the government said on Thursday.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said a total of 1,148 hoax bomb threat messages/calls have been received since August 2022 till November 14, 2024 threatening the operations of international and domestic air travel.
While 999 threats were received by airlines during the period from January to November 14, 2024, the count stood at 122 last year and at 27 for the August-December 2022 period.
"256 FIRs have been filed since January 2024 till 14 November 2024, out of which 163 FIRs have been filed during 14 October- 14 November 2024. 12 arrests have been made in view of hoax bomb threat since January 2024 till 14 November 2024," the minister said.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has issued guidelines for objective assessment of threats. The indicative factor has been useful in reducing time taken by the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) during the decision-making process.
"Also, to reduce the overall time taken for convening BTAC to less than 5 minutes, virtual assembly of BTAC through pre-generated video link has been set up. Further, advisories for compulsory 10 per cent of secondary ladder point check-in for all flights, strict monitoring of non-scheduled flight operations, enhanced security measures and surveillance at cargo terminals were issued," Mohol said.
Further, the minister said the government is considering amending the Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023 to put hoax threat messenger in the no-fly list.
"It is also being considered to amend Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation for covering Aircraft in flight as well as on ground, airport etc," he added.
