Donald Trump has vowed to run for President again in 2020 in a bid to carry out the full eight years of his tenure in the White House, sources close to the US figurehead has revealed.
The 71-year-old has previously hinted at his ambition to run for a second term – and has regularly led campaign-style rallies during his time in office.
Now Trump has reportedly confirmed to conservative news aggregator Matt Drudge that he will definitely stand for the role as the
Republican candidate.
It is unusual for a party to throw support behind any other politician vying for the role at the same time at the President, making it likely he will be the Republican representative to battle for the White House in 2020.
He is believed to have already named his campaign manager – Brad Parscale who served as media director in his 2016 bid – and has started to amass campaign funds in preparation for the race.
Parscale was instrumental in managing the social media aspects of the 2016 campaign – managing what Trump reportedly termed at the time as "digital mumbo-jumbo stuff".
Eric Trump the President’s son, said, "Brad is an amazing talent and was pivotal to our success in 2016.
“He has our family's complete trust and is the perfect person to be at the helm of the campaign."
Jared Kushner, the President’s son-in-law and senior advisor, said, “Brad was essential in bringing a disciplined technology and data-driven approach to how the 2016 campaign was run.
“His leadership and expertise will be help build a best-in-class campaign.”
His bid comes 980 days before election day – uncommonly far in advance of the race.
It is currently unclear who the President could face off with in the election – with several names being floated by the Democrats including former contender Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Californian senator Kamala Harris.
Joseph P. Kennedy – the grand nephew of President John F Kennedy – is also believed to be in the running after heading up the response to Trump’s State of the Union address.
Several celebrity candidates have also been linked to the role – including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Oprah Winfrey.
His declaration comes as the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign – and alleged ties between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin – gains speed.
So far 19 people have been charged in relation to the probe, including senior Trump campaign officials Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn.