Just over a year after taking the oath of office, President Donald Trump is seemingly already starting his bid to retain the Oval Office.
Trump will reportedly announce his 2020 plans to run for re-election, according to multiple outlets, including CBS News and Drudge Report. Brad Parscale, who oversaw digital operations for the Trump campaign in 2016, will be named campaign manager.
It’s highly unusual for a sitting president to formally launch a campaign this early in a term. There are 980 days before the next presidential election.
That makes Trump’s expected announcement a record among sitting presidents. The previous record holder was Barack Obama, who announced his intention to run for office with 582 days remaining before the election. Prior to that, Bill Clinton had announced plans to run for re-election the earliest in his term.
Of course, Trump has made no secret that he intends to hold the job as long as possible.
He filed the paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run in 2020 just hours after he was inaugurated, according to CBS News.
Trump may have foreshadowed his plans last Friday when giving a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Rather than sticking to the scripted remarks, which focused on North Korean sanctions and Parkland, Fla, he held something that more closely resembled a campaign rally.