Donald Trump is reactivating his bid to regain the White House in 2024, hitting the election trail in earnest almost three months after formally announcing his candidacy.

Brushing aside questions of his electoral viability in what is shaping up as a large field of likely Republican contenders, he told a small New Hampshire gathering of Republicans in Salem that he has never been more concerned about America’s future.

“I’m more angry now and I’m more committed now than I ever was,” Trump said.

After New Hampshire his next stop was Columbia, South Carolina,  where he unveiled his leadership team in the state and slammed the Biden administration, saying “they want to defund our police … Every day in America has become April Fool’s Day”

Both New Hampshire and South Carolina are seen as potential kingmakers, as they are among the first to hold their nominating contests.

How a candidate performs there often makes or breaks their campaign.

Fading influence

Political observers in the Republican and Democratic parties will be keenly watching to see who shows up to support Trump at the events.

Two Trump allies in South Carolina – Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Russell Fry – have been calling Republicans and urging them to attend, their offices told Reuters.

Once the undisputed centre of gravity in the Republican Party, an increasing number of elected officials have expressed concerns about Trump’s ability to beat Democratic President Joe Biden if he decides to run again, as is widely expected.

Rob Godfrey, a Columbia-based political strategist, said many Republicans are holding off on endorsing Trump because of the wide range of possible candidates who could run for the party’s nomination.

“I think there are a fair number of people that are keeping their powder dry because there’s such a deep bench for Republicans this year,” he said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has not formally declared, is a rising star with conservatives and widely regarded as Trump’s potential nemesis.

Copying DeSantis

And in New Hampshire, Republican Governor Chris Sununu has said he is having conversations about a primary bid, and many high-ranking Republicans there – including those who supported Trump previously – say publicly they are looking for an alternative.

In Salem, Trump railed against illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border – a familiar theme – claiming without evidence that other countries were intentionally sending criminals and people with mental illnesses to the US.

The former president also focused on newer policy proposals, including an education plan released on Thursday that vows to cut federal funding to “any school pushing critical race theory, gender ideology, or any other inappropriate content”.

The plan mirrors a law passed in Florida last year with the backing of  DeSantis.

-AAP