Trump doesn’t play coy very well. He is a drama queen, though. The man who mastered the art of the con knows the value of leaving massive decisions hanging in the balance, creating suspense.

In yet another Hannity puppy-love interview taped at the rally and ran on Wednesday night, Hannity did everything but make out with Trump on air. Between questions about Trump’s remarkable 30 out of 30 on the cognitive exam, and other humiliating worship, Hannity asked Trump if he had made a decision about running again:

According to Mediaite:

Hannity then acknowledged there’s no point in asking Trump if he’s running, so instead he asked, “Have you made up your mind?”

Trump paused briefly and said, “Yes.”

More predictable uproarious applause ensued.

Trump’s status as the de facto leader of the Republican Party puts potential GOP presidential hopefuls in a strange position. He remains wildly popular among the base. If he declares his candidacy, it’s difficult to imagine notable figures in the party declaring as well. As long as Trump remains noncommittal, he’ll likely freeze out a field of potential candidates that could include Ron DeSantis, Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley, and Ted Cruz, who may simply fundraise quietly while anxiously awaiting Trump’s decision.

Yes, Trump remains wildly popular among the base, but it is probably worth pointing out that since Trump’s negative 2.7 million vote “win” in 2016, the Trump-led GOP has gotten waxed in the following two elections, three if one counts the special runoff in Georgia, and we do.

But, of course, Trump will eventually announce that he’s running again, even if he doesn’t make it all the way to 2024. He needs people to send him free money, desperately. And speaking of desperation, Trump will try to maximize the time needed to “prepare for trial” in the charges that are likely to come, because he sees being president as the ultimate protection from criminal liability. He might be right with respect to federal charges. We don’t know about state charges.

Trump isn’t fooling anyone. He has made his decision on 2024 and he is running, at least he’s going to say he’s running until he sees a reason to pull out in 2024.

Trump confirms he's made up his mind about 2024, which is the strongest hint he's dropped yet that he's going to run again pic.twitter.com/RYgS09WGgA

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 1, 2021

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