Donald Trump will launch his third presidential campaign if Republicans take control of Congress in the mid-term elections, advisers have claimed.
The former president will bid to return to the White House in 2024 should positive Republican results next week provide a suitable springboard, say reports.
One source claimed that the 76-year-old is keen to announce his intention to run before Thanksgiving in a bid to catch potential opponents on the back foot.
Trump will be particularly well placed should Republican Senate candidates that he has publicly backed, such as Mark Finchem and Tudor Dixon, succeed.
A source also claimed that Trump has began sounding out potential staff to join his campaign.
The Telegraph reported a senior Trump adviser said: “I think, like a moth to a flame, Trump will run in 2024.
“I think that he wants to run, and announcing before Thanksgiving gives him a great advantage over his opponents, and he understands that.”
In key states Trump has backed Republicans Herschel Walker, a former American football star hoping to take Georgia, and Mehmet Oz, a TV doctor running in Pennsylvania.
With Joe Biden's approval wobbling at 40% - the lowest of a president halfway through a term since record began - there is a possibility of a red wave sweeping the US next week.
Trump's 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway previously stated that he wanted to declare before the midterm elections.
She said: “He’d like to have done it already. I give him a ton of credit...for not stepping in the way of the midterm candidates.
“That was certainly my advice from the beginning, wait until after the midterms.
“I think you can expect him to announce soon.”
Trump is due to appear at a rally in Ohio on November 7, which would appear to be his next opportunity to announce his candidacy.
By declaring early, Trump will hope to dissuade potential rivals such as Florida governor Ron DeSantis from running until 2028.
The constitution would prevent Trump from running in 2028 if he were to return to the White House in 2024.
