Trump announces 2024 White House run

A combative Donald Trump launched into the 2024 White House race, setting the stage for a bruising Republican nomination battle after a poor midterm election showing by his hand-picked candidates weakened his grip on the party.

"America's comeback starts right now," the 76-year-old former president told hundreds of supporters gathered in an ornate American flag-draped ballroom at his palatial Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

"In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States," Trump said, minutes after filing the official paperwork for his third presidential run.

Trump's unusually early entry into the race is being seen in Washington as an attempt to get the jump on other Republicans seeking to be party flag-bearer -- and to stave off potential criminal charges.

In a fiery, hour-long speech, Trump lauded -- and at times inflated -- his accomplishments as America's 45th president and fired off verbal salvos against Democrat Joe Biden, who defeated him in 2020.

Trump, who was impeached for seeking political dirt on Biden from Ukraine and again after the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by his supporters, launches his new bid with several potential handicaps.

He is the target of multiple investigations into his conduct before, during and after his first term as president -- which could ultimately result in his disqualification.