US: Donald Trump sets up 'Office of the Former President' in Florida

Former US President Donald Trump on Monday established an official post-presidency office in Palm Beach County setting up a vehicle for future public appearances and statements.

"The Office of the Former President" will manage Trump's correspondence, public statements, appearance and official activities, according to a press release from the office.

"Today, the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump formally opened the Office of the Former President," the statement said.

It added, "The Office will be responsible for managing President Trump's correspondence, public statements, appearances and official activities to advance the interests of the US and to carry the agenda of the Trump administration."

"President Trump will always and forever be a champion for the American people," it further said.

The Hill reported that the title of the office could fuel speculation that Trump may not run for president again in 2024, something he and his advisers have not definitively weighed in on.

The former President has been publicly silent since leaving the White House last week for his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. He has been banned from Twitter and suspended from other major social media platforms in the wake of the Capitol riot on January 6.

Trump briefly spoke to a reporter at his golf club a few days after leaving office, though he did not make extensive comments about his future plans. Trump is expected to reside in Florida, and he is surrounded by a few aides.

Allies have said Trump is eyeing supporting primary challenges against Republicans who he feels wronged him following his election defeat, such as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (Wyo.), who was one of 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Trump earlier this month.

The US House of Representatives has delivered to the Senate the articles of impeachment against former President Donald Trump for inciting the riot at the Capitol building on January 6. Last week, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Trump's impeachment trial is scheduled to begin the week of February 8.

It will be the first time in US history that any president faced two impeachment trials or that any president was impeached after he left office.

On January 13, one week before Biden took office, the lower chamber in the US Congress voted 232-197 to impeach Trump on charges of inciting violence against the US government. Although Trump is no longer president, the Senate could still convict him and vote to ban him from ever running for office again.

It was the second time Trump was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House. The first time he was acquitted by the Senate in February of last year (with only 1 Republican voting in favor of one article of impeachment). However, unlike the impeachment over the Ukraine aid scandal, GOP (Grand Old Party -- another name for the Republican Party) House lawmakers broke rank--with 10 voting to impeach Trump.

It will take 67 votes in the 100-seat Senate to convict Trump on the impeachment charges. This would require 17 GOP senators to break rank. Trump is readying an impeachment defense team for next month's Senate trial, though he has not commented on it publicly.