(JustPatriots.com)- It was reported last week that Donald Trump’s fundraising political action committee (PAC) Save America has hired two political consultants familiar with campaigns in Iowa. As Iowa is the state that kicks off the presidential primary season, some believe this move may signal Trump’s interest in running again in 2024.
An aide for Save America, the PAC Trump set up after losing the 2020 election, sent a memo to staff and advisors last Thursday notifying them that Eric Branstad and Alex Latcham were joining Save America as senior advisors.
Save America spokesman Taylor Budowich confirmed the news, saying that Latcham and Branstad will be helping on “many political matters.”
Both Iowa natives, Latcham and Branstad have vast experience in the Iowa caucus as well as previous ties to the Trump campaign and administration.
In 2016, Alex Latcham was Trump’s Iowa political director during general election, then became deputy political director in the Trump White House.
Eric Branstad, son of former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, was state director in Iowa for Trump in 2016. He went on to become senior White House adviser at the Commerce Department. In 2020, Branstad was senior advisor in Iowa for the Trump re-election campaign.
For several months now, President Trump has been teasing about running again in 2024 even as he has stayed clear of activities that would trigger federal election laws requiring him to register as a candidate.
This summer he has held rallies in Ohio, Florida and Arizona and has another rally set for later this month in Alabama. While these rallies are often used ostensibly to campaign for 2022 Congressional candidates, many believe Trump is setting up the framework and raising money for a possible 2024 run – or at the very least testing the waters for a potential run.
Whether or not hiring two consultants with ties to Iowa politics signals Trump has made up his mind remains to be seen. Though on Sunday, August 8, Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann tweeted that the former President had called him to talk about Iowa farmers and other topics “including Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status.”
However, it is worth noting that these two consultants joining Trump’s Save America PAC may not mean what many believe. PACs like Save America cannot be used to finance a presidential campaign. So it is not a sure-bet that Save America hiring these political operatives means they were hired for a possible 2024 presidential run.
