Donald Trump faces rocky start as Republican pulls rug from under bid

Donald Trump is facing a rocky start only hours after launching his bid to become the next President of the United States at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Senior Republican and long-time critic of Donald Trump, Adam Kinzinger, called on his fellow Republicans to oppose his bid for the presidency. In a brutal attack on the President, the Republican Congressman accused him of fuelling up division and anger to raise funds for his political campaigns and pushing American democracy to the edge.In a direct call to his party, Mr Kinzinger said in a video posted on his Twitter account: “Donald Trump is a stain on our nation and unfortunately, we’re going to have to keep hearing from him again and again. “And more people will give and give [money] and be abused. “But to my fellow Republicans if you ever want to look in the mirror without shame, stand up and speak out now.”Reacting to Donald Trump’s run only minutes after his speech, the Republican Congressman added: “Anywhere he goes, he brings fear, he brings division, he brings anger. In fact, he rose to power through abuse and intimidation.” Adam Kinzinger called on fellow Republicans to speak out against Donald Trump (Image: TWITTER/@AdamKinzinger GETTY) Adam Kinzinger accused Donald Trump of being a ‘conman’ (Image: TWITTER/@AdamKinzinger)Mr Kinzinger said: “I want to talk a bit more about the abuse but figure out, if he’s lost every election he’s been in or he’s been associated with – he even lost the popular vote in 2016 pretty significantly. “But today’s announcement means more abuse. It means that the seniors on a fixed income, they’ll be bled dry by 10 or 20 dollars at a time by those breathless emails and text messages that they get, instilling fear.”In fact, he just spent a fraction of any of the money he’s raised on a campaign.”Remember back in the whole stop the steal thing? He raised hundreds of millions of dollars and never did anything to try to stop this so-called steal that didn’t exist anyway. “And we found out later he knew that the election wasn’t stolen.”READ MORE: Melania Trump wears polka shirt & white skirt to support Donald Trump Donald Trump launched his bid for the 2024 presidential election (Image: GETTY) Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden (Image: GETTY)The senior Republican Congressman accused Donald Trump of never delivering on his pledge to “Stop the Steal” – an allegation he made in 2020 after failing his re-election bid to the presidency against President Joe Biden.Mr Kinzinger continued: “But when he sees people, all he sees is dollar signs. So just know when he says he cares about his people and then he drains them out of their money, he’s using fear, lies – he’s an abuser. “And he’s a conman.”Donald Trump, who has mounted relentless attacks on the integrity of the 2020 election, has officially thrown his hat in the ring to become the next US President in a widely-anticipated speech. Speaking to a crowd gathered at Mar-a-Lago, his waterfront estate in Florida, where his campaign will be headquartered, the former President said: “In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States.”DON’T MISS:Biden claims it is ‘unlikely missile fired from Russia’ [REPORT]      Trump officially launches 2024 White House bid despite midterm setback [REPORT]      Donald Trump’s battle with Desantis ‘going to get ugly’  [REPORT]       Some Republicans are turning to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the next presidential election (Image: GETTY)Vowing to defeat incumbent President Joe Biden in 2024, he declared: “America’s golden age is just ahead.”However, the twice-impeached ex-President’s announcement follows shaky midterms where the candidates he endorsed faced mixed results, raising questions about his ability to revive the Republican party’s electoral base in the upcoming presidential election.Mick Mulvaney, who served as Mr Trump’s chief of staff from January 2019 to March 2020, told CNN he thinks “he’s the only Republican who could lose” the next US presidential election. Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump has decided to bow out of US politics and will not join her father’s bid to retake the White in 2024, saying she has chosen “to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family”.Rupert Murdoch has reportedly warned Donald Trump his media empire, which includes right-leaning Fox News, his flagship paper the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post, will not back any attempt to return to the White House, as some Republicans are turning to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.READ NEXT:Michelle Obama reveals she ‘still hurts’ over Trump’s ‘ugly’ 2016 winDonald Trump has billions in the bank – how he made his money Donald Trump could be at ‘end of road’ following midterms electionsTrump cries foul on Arizona vote before big 2024 announcementTrump’s supporters could throw Congress into chaos by nominating hi…