Mary Trump, President Trump’s niece and author of a book on him, said on Thursday that she did not believe her uncle would run for president again in 2024, despite statements from the president that appear to suggest as much.
Appearing on “The View,” Mary Trump shot down the idea as “preposterous.”
“I think that this initially was probably an idea that was floated to him in order to assuage his wounded ego, after he so decisively lost to President Biden,” said Trump. “And I think it’s something he clings to as a way to maintain his relevance, which I suggested earlier is going to wane precipitously after the inauguration.”
Trump has become a prominent critic of the president and previously said she would do “everything in my power” to elect Joe Biden. In her book “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” Trump described her uncle as a narcissist with a proclivity for lying and cheating.
“There are several reasons Donald won’t run. One of them, and perhaps the most important, is that he may be facing some serious charges at the state level. Plus there is some lawsuits that he will have to grapple with, and of course there is his financial exposure. So, I don’t — I don’t see that happening,” she told Ana Navarro-Cárdenas.
President Trump recently issued a pardon for his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to federal crimes. He has reportedly discussed issuing pardons for himself, his children and Jared Kushner. Several of his allies have also reportedly asked that he issue them pardons before he leaves office.
President Trump may potentially face prosecution after he leaves office for actions related to hush money paid to adult-film star Stormy Daniels and multiple counts of obstruction of justice during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin asked Mary Trump what she thought her uncle’s next move would be, noting that although his time in power was coming to an end he had left an immense impact on the GOP.
“I think the problem is that he hasn’t transformed the GOP as much as he’s revealed its true nature,” said Trump. “Donald will absolutely try to maintain control, because that will give him — continue to give him some measure of power. I don’t — I think he’s much more likely to pursue something in the media though. That way he can keep the spotlight trained on him at all times and just narrow his focus to his most fanatical followers.”
In November, The Wall Street Journal published a report that Trump allies had looked into investing in the conservative news outlet Newsmax in order to compete with Fox News. Newsmax Media Chief Executive Officer Chris Ruddy, however, denied the report and said no deal had been discussed with any Trump allies.