United States President Donald Trump has spoken privately about running for the presidency again in 2024, U.S. media have reported.
Trump is already plotting another run at the White House and has discussed the matter with aides, two sources told Axios.
The sitting president has yet to concede defeat to Joe Biden after the Nov. 3 election.
Under the U.S. constitution presidents are limited to serving two terms, but they need not be consecutive.
Trump has been spending his days largely on the phone, calling advisers, allies and friends, with the president “trying to find people who will give him good news,” one adviser told Washington Post.
Problem for Republican Party
Trump's potential return in 2024 spells trouble for the Republican party as he looks set to hijack the party again.
A future Trump run would help keep him relevant and in the media spotlight from now till then, which would diminish the chances of rising stars and buzzed-about 2024 hopefuls.
These individuals include Tom Cotton of Arkansas, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and current Vice President Mike Pence.
They are unlikely to run if Trump is planning another campaign, Trump allies said, according to Washington Post.
An indication he is conceding this round -- with a fight
Washington Post also reported that Trump has been discussing a possible 2024 campaign matter-of-factly, an indication that he knows his time as president is coming to an end.
“I’m just going to run in 2024. I’m just going to run again,” Trump has been saying, according to a senior administration official who has spoken with him this week, Washington Post reported.
At the moment, despite losing, Trump maintains a grip on a large swathe of Republican Party supporters.
This populist base helped lift him to power in 2016 and turned out for him again in 2020.
Most elected Republicans are fearful of provoking Trump’s ire, party officials and Trump advisers said.
Trump has secured more than 73 million votes as of Nov. 13, 2020, and he has continued to harp on his total vote share on social media.
Continues to hammer on voter fraud message -- without evidence
The president continues to falsely claim he is the true winner of the election and that there was widespread voter fraud.
But any hope of overturning Biden's victory will be near-impossible.
Trump aides, advisers and allies said there is no grand strategy to reverse the election results, as Biden has a majority of electoral college votes, as well as a 5 million-vote lead in the national popular vote.
One path to Trump's victory is winning in the all-important state of Pennsylvania.
But Biden leads by more than 50,000 votes there.