Trump says his base 'will be very angry' if he doesn't run in 2024

• Trump said in a new interview that his base "will be very angry" if he doesn't run in 2024.
• He has teased a 2024 bid but has stopped short of any campaign announcement.

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that if he doesn't run for the White House in 2024, his base "will be very angry."

The comments came during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, who asked Trump which candidate the Republican Party will flock to if he chooses not to run in the next presidential election.

Trump skirted the question, replying: "If I do decide that, I think my base is going to be very angry."

"Well, it will, but they'll still have to find somebody," Hewitt said.

"They will be very angry," Trump continued.

Trump declined to weigh in on possible 2024 contenders that he'd throw his support behind if he does not enter the race himself.

"I think we have a couple of people that are, would be very good, but it's, you know, very early. It's very, very early," he said.

Hewitt raised the question again later in the interview, bringing up the names of rumored GOP candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas.

Trump responded that he'll comment on the topic "in about one year from now."

"We'll have another phone call, maybe before that. But I'll discuss that subject right after the midterms. I know exactly, I mean, I have two or three that I think would be very good. But I'll make my decision," he said.

The former president also expressed excitement heading into the 2022 midterm elections.

"I think that we'll see what happens after, right after the midterms. I think we're going to have a great '22. And I think we should have a really incredible, you know, '24," he said.

Since leaving office in January, Trump has repeatedly teased that he may launch his third bid for the presidency, but has stopped short of a 2024 campaign announcement. Last month he suggested that he'd win the Republican presidential nomination if he did decide to run. He also told Fox News in November that he'd "probably" wait until after the 2022 midterms to make an announcement about whether he'll launch a 2024 campaign or not.

Polls have found that a majority of Republicans want Trump to be the leader of the party, remain a major political figure, and run again in 2024.

In a poll about a hypothetical 2024 rematch released by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Trump and President Joe Biden were virtually tied.