Donald Trump. (AP File Photo)
New York, September 8 (PTI) Donald Trump has strongly indicated that he might run for the 2024 US presidential election, claiming that "everyone" wants him to contest the polls once again, a decision he said will make a "couple of people unhappy".
The 76-year-old Republican leader who has still not conceded defeat in the 2020 US presidential election to his Democratic Party rival Joe Biden, asserted that "we didn't lose".
In an interview to NDTV news channel at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, the former president said, "Everyone wants me to run, I'm leading in the polls...I'll make a decision in the very near future, I suspect. And I think that a lot of people are going to be very happy."
"I think so. A lot of people will be (happy); and a couple of people will be unhappy," he said without naming those who won't be pleased with his decision to seek another term in the White House in 2024.
While not acknowledging Biden's win and his inauguration as the 46th US President in January 2021, Trump himself has spread unproven allegations of electoral fraud in key US states, despite repeated pushback from election officials and judges in several court cases.
Replying to a question on whether he could beat Biden,79, in the presidential election if the latter also chooses to run, Trump said he will beat his rival "easily".
"Well, in the polls, I'm leading by a lot. I would think I beat him easily. I think I beat him last time. I don't think... if you look at the numbers, you look at what happened. I beat him by a lot. Last time. I got many millions of more votes last time than I did the first time. You know, in 2016, we ran a great campaign. But I ran a better campaign in 2020," he said.
"I think we ran a much better campaign. I got 12 million more votes (than the previous time) or close to 12 million more votes. I got more votes than any sitting president in history," Trump said.
When asked, what would be his topmost priority for America if he becomes the president again, Trump said he will make the US energy independent.
"We're going to be energy independent, we're going to have a great economy, a roaring economy again, which we don't have right now. Okay, we set every record on jobs. We've never had an economy, like the economy that I had. But we'll bring back energy independence, and we will do things that we haven't been able to do in the last two years," he asserted.
Replying to a question on what made him say Biden "is an enemy of the state," Trump said the current president has done "very badly" for America.
"Our country has never been in a position like this. We are weak in many ways. And we're certainly...the economy is horrible, what has taken place on the economy. What's taken place with inflation and almost everything we're doing right now. And we've lost our voice and our respect worldwide.
"You look at Russia, take a look at Russia invading Ukraine, that would have never happened. Watch what's going to happen with China. And Taiwan, you take a look at that. Because already those ships are lining up, and that could be next. None of these things would have happened," he said.
Trump said the kind of inflation Americans have been experiencing wouldn't have happened had he been the president.
"We were energy independent. And now we're begging everybody for energy. We're begging, we have blackouts all over our country. We've never had anything like that. So very bad things have happened to this country in two years. Things that are absolutely unthinkable," the former president said.
On a question on the recent FBI raids at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on charges that he had taken away official secret files when he left the White House in 2021, Trump alleged that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) planted the recovered files there, calling it an attempt to weaponise the government.
"They put (the recovered secret documents) there. It's a set up. It's weaponisation. And it's inappropriate to do and it's a bad thing for our country. And this is like Russia, Russia, Russia, and the Mueller report and all of the hoaxes that we've had to go through and it's become standard American politics and it's a disgrace," he said.
Last month, the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, the residence of the former president in Palm Beach, Florida, and reportedly recovered several classified documents related to national security interests.
"It was a terrible thing. And frankly, that's had a big impact on the population. But that was a terrible thing that they did. Raiding my home was a terrible thing. And I think it's, it's boomeranged and very negatively on them," Trump said.
Trump said he was not in Florida when he heard of the raids.
"When I heard about it, I said 'that's strange'. And it was strange. And it was very strange to the public also, to the American people, because they were not happy with it. And if you look at the result of that, you can see that they were not happy. They're very angry about it," he said.
Trump also downplayed speculation about his 40-year-old daughter Ivanka being the possible vice presidential pick for the 2024 presidential run.
"Ivanka? My daughter? Never thought of that one. I've never even heard but that's an Interesting idea...No, I wouldn't (consider it). Not my daughter," he said.
