Former President Donald Trump established an official post-presidency office in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Monday to oversee his post-presidential affairs.
“Today, the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, formally opened the Office of the Former President,” a statement from the new office said.
“The Office will be responsible for managing President Trump’s correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump Administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism. President Trump will always and forever be a champion for the American People,” the statement added.
The logo for the new office appears to be a black-and-white copy of the logo of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
INBOX: Former President Trump has set up an “Office of the Former President” pic.twitter.com/DSqwDCklcp
— Anders Hagstrom (@Hagstrom_Anders) January 25, 2021
The announcement of Trump’s new office came on the same day that Democrats delivered one article of impeachment against to the Senate. House prosecutors delivered the impeachment charge of “incitement of insurrection” after making a ceremonial walk across the Capitol to the Senate. Arguments in the Senate trial will begin the week of Feb. 8. Trump, who was impeached twice, will be the first former president to face an impeachment trial.
There has been much speculation about what Trump would do during his post-presidency. Trump himself has often fed the rumors, repeatedly hinting that he may run again in 2024. Trump, who departed Washington, D.C., on Wednesday after skipping the inauguration of his successor, has also reportedly talked with allies about forming a new political party in an effort to continue his political career.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Trump discussed the matter with several aides and said he would want to call the new party the “Patriot Party.”
“It’s unclear how serious Mr. Trump is about starting a new party, which would require a significant investment of time and resources,” reported the Journal. “The president has a large base of supporters, some of whom were not deeply involved in Republican politics prior to Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign.”
But Trump’s political team has disavowed “Patriot Party” groups that have filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in recent days following news reports that the former president was considering starting his own party.
“On January 22, 2021, Patriot Party filed a Form 1 (Statement of Organization) listing DJTFP as a participant in purported joint fundraising activities under 11 C.F.R. 102.17,” Donald J. Trump for President Inc., the Trump’s official campaign committee, said in a filing. “DJTFP did not authorize the filing of this Form 1, has not entered into any joint fundraising agreement to fundraise through Patriot Party, and has no knowledge of Patriot Party’s activities whatsoever.”
A Trump spokesperson said in a statement, “We are not supportive of this effort, have nothing to do with it and only know about it through public reporting.” Bloomberg News reported that Trump “has no plans to break from the Republican Party to pursue a third party.”
In his final address as president, just before flying home to Florida aboard Air Force One, Trump told supporters gathered at an Air Force base in Maryland: “We will be back in some form.”
Related: Trump’s Political Team Disavows ‘Patriot Party’ Groups, Has No Plans To Leave Republican Party