Trump is telling dinner guests he will definitely run in 2024 despite public coyness, report says

Donald Trump is reportedly telling his dinner guests that he plans to run for president again in 2024, despite playing coy about his Oval Office ambitions in public.

Rolling Stone reported that Mr Trump has told at least three people he's had dinner with in the past few months that he is planning a 2024 run. A former senior official at the Republican National Committee spoke with Rolling Stone about the exchanges.

"I have three friends who've had dinner with him in the last couple of months. All three reported that his current plans are to run for president in 2024," the official said. "Now, whether he does or not is a different issue. We've still got three years to go. But he's telling people that."

The official claims that the first two dinners took place in late spring, and the third occurred sometime within the last two weeks.

The individual who dined with Mr Trump at the third dinner reportedly said that they were "not 100 per cent sure Trump wants to run but he likes being in the conversation, he wants to freeze the field, and he wants his name out there."

Another former adviser to Mr Trump who regularly talks with the former president's inner circle said that they were aware of similar conversations. They said Mr Trump has been indicating since May that he was leaning towards another run, and that recent signs also suggest a second campaign.

"All the people I talk to who deal with him directly think as of now he is running," the source said.

Mr Trump has remained a popular potential candidate among the Republican base, with more than half of the respondents in a recent survey saying they would support him in a primary if he were to run. The closest candidate to Mr Trump in terms of support if Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, himself a Trump loyalist.

The former president has already started rallying again, ostensibly to offer his support to various Republicans he hopes to see wins in the midterms. These rallies are also very likely a means for Mr Trump to keep his name front and centre in Republican politics.

Despite Mr Trump's likely self-serving interests in his endorsement rallies, it is unlikely any of the candidates he's backing are complaining. Mr Trump and his chosen candidates have a symbiotic relationship; they receive the coveted Trump seal of approval, and he gets more face time and more coverage in the national news.

Mr Trump has been extremely protective of his endorsements, at one point pitting a group of Ohio candidates vying for a soon-to-be vacated Senate seat against each other during a dinner meeting. Mr Trump reportedly asked the candidates to explain why they should get his endorsement over any of the others.

The former president's campaign has also been vigilant in shutting down candidates who appear to mislead voters into believing they have Mr Trump's backing. Jason Miller, one of the former president's aides, has been tracking down candidates making false endorsement claims on social media and making it clear that Mr Trump has not given his blessing.

This is another way Mr Trump can keep his position as the true leader of the Republican party secured. By treating his seal of approval like a holy anointment, Mr Trump can influence state races, earn favours with lawmakers, and keep himself propped up as the ultimate authority in the party – a helpful position to hold in the event he decides to run again in 2024.