A defiant Donald Trump addressed media from The White House slamming a "corrupt" mail-in voting system, media and the Democrat machine. Video / AP
If Donald Trump is no longer be the commander-in-chief on January 20, 2021, we may not have heard the last of him, with growing speculation that the polarising President is considering another run in 2024.
A path to the presidency for Trump is looking increasingly unlikely this year, despite hislegal team pushing for recounts, with options narrowing as more votes are reported in crucial swing states.
Now insiders are floating a potential second round for Trump. with senior figures suggesting that he will remain a leading figure in US politics.
The Irish Times reported that former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told a webinar run by a Dublin think tank that Trump would "absolutely" have another crack at the top job.
"I would absolutely expect the President to stay involved in politics and would absolutely put him on the shortlist of people who are likely to run in 2024," Mulvaney said.
Bryan Lanza, former communications director for the Trump transition team, told the Today programme that the 45th president can "make a strong case to run again" if he narrowly misses out this year.
Lanza suggested that a Biden presidency would be saddled with managing the massive fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and that might leave the door open for Trump.
"Biden will have the opportunity to guide this country out of Covid, and we'll see what his successes and failures are," Lanza said.
"And there's nobody in the Republican party that can challenge President Trump in the primaries."
Trump may not be done with us yet. Photo / AP
Despite his likely defeat, Trump received at least 68 million votes, five million more than he did in 2016.
He also held on to the support of nearly half of voters, despite a tenure marked by scandal, setbacks and the ravages of the Covid pandemic.
A potential second term has already been discussed inside the White House, according to CNN's White House correspondent Jim Acosta, who reported that Trump has discussed the plan with aides.
Trump and aides have had discussions about mounting a comeback run in 2024 should he lose reelection to Biden, an adviser tells me. No word whether he would do it. But the subject has come up, I'm told.
While US law has prohibited US presidents from serving more than two terms since the Twenty-second Amendment was ratified in 1951, there's no rule against running again after a single term.
It has also been done successfully before, with Grover Cleveland serving as the 22nd and 24th president, from 1885 to 1889 and 1893 to 1897.
Even if he doesn't seek office, many predict that Trump will continue to play a part in US political life.
The New York Times reports that Trump has long entertained starting his own television network to compete with Fox News, a former favourite that he is increasingly feuding with.
His massive social media following would also give him outsized influence on the Republican party, allowing him to effectively become a kingmaker when future candidates are considered.
"If anything is clear from the election results, it is that the President has a huge following, and he doesn't intend to exit the stage anytime soon," former Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona said.
