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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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
