Donald Trump announces he will run to become US president again in 2024

Donald Trump has offically launched a third bid for the US presidency.

In a speech from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida the former US president said: “America’s comeback starts right now”.

Mr Trump, who lost the presidency in 2020 in an election defeat to Joe Biden, was flanked by more than 30 American flags and banners that read: “Make America Great Again!”

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” he said before an audience of several hundred supporters in a chandeliered ballroom.

“Two years ago we were a great nation. And soon we will be a great nation again,” the former US president added.

“The decline of America is being forced upon us by Biden and the radical left... this is not a decline we must accept.”

Mr Trump has launched his bid despite being a hugely divisive figure in US politics after his controversial four-year term ended with the deadly Capitol riots on 6 January 2021.

He is facing a string of investigations, including into his tax affairs and whether he took classified documents from the White House after leaving office.

Donald Trump Presidency - In pictures

While he is at the centre of a House committee investigation into the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He has been accused of inciting the riot after baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him by mass voter fraud.

He became the first president ever to be impeached twice, although congressional Democrats were thwarted in their bid to remove him from office by Senate Republicans.

He remains a key force in the Republicans, but has faced criticism from within the party after an underwhelming midterm election showing, in which a number of candidates he hand picked failed to win.

He had hoped to use party’s expected gains at the midterms as a springboard to his party’s nomination.

Instead, he now finds himself being blamed for backing a series of losing candidates after disappointing results in which Democrats retained control of the Senate.

Democrats portrayed their win as a rejection of candidates who echoed Mr Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. However the Republican Party is still expected to secure control of the US House of Representatives.

Shortly before the speech, Mr Trump filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission formally declaring his presidential candidacy and setting up a fundraising account.

Mr Trump’s speech lasted for more than an hour and touched on many of the same themes he has been repeating on stage for months.

These included border security, energy independence and crime, as well as attacks on Mr Biden’s record in office.

His wife, Melania Trump, joined him on stage at the end of the speech, that was also watched by other members of his family,

However his elder daughter Ivanka, who played a key role in the Trump administration, did not attend, issuing a statement saying: “I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena.”

Her husband, Jared Kushner, a key aide during Mr Trump’s time in office, did attend.