Matt Drudge, the founder of the conservative news aggregator site Drudge Report, was mocked across social media on Tuesday after tweeting out an all-caps “shock announcement” which turned out to be about President Trump’s intention to run for reelection in 2020.
Trump had filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on the day of his inauguration in January 2017 and has often talked about being in office for eight years since winning the election.
Drudge was targeted with a number of amused reactions from other media members on Twitter regarding his “shock” characterization.
Also according to Drudge, the president will turn to former digital adviser Brad Parscale as his campaign manager.
Parscale, 42, is currently leading a pro-Trump outside group called America First Policies.
The decision to leak the news to Drudge, a staunch supporter of the president who has reportedly been to the White House on multiple occasions since Trump took office, appears to indicate the White House is looking to energize his base ahead of midterm elections in the fall that show Democrats having a chance to win back Congress.
The president is also under the cloud of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election interference and any potential collusion with the Trump campaign. The investigation is about to enter its tenth month.
It’s not clear where or when Trump will hold a rally to make the announcement personally.