As control of the Senate seems likely to again come down to Georgia, many are urging former president Donald Trump to hold off making any announcements about his future political plans until after the runoff for U.S. Senate concludes.

For weeks there has been speculation about the latest plans of the former president. Trump had teased that he would announce a renewed run for the presidency in 2024 after the conclusion of the November elections.

However, a “red wave” was anticipated in November, with Republicans expecting to take a commanding majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, potentially take the U.S. Senate, and win governorships and other key offices across the country. The results turned out essentially to be a status quo election that leaned Republican.

With control of the U.S. Senate possibly coming down to the runoff in Georgia between incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker, many are pushing for Trump to hold off on any announcement for now.

“I’ll be advising him that he move his announcement until after the Georgia runoff,” said former Trump adviser Jason Miller. “Georgia needs to be the focus of every Republican in the country right now.”

Trump had put his personal stamp on the 2022 national elections, endorsing many candidates for office with a mixed bag of results.

New Ohio Senator J.D. Vance was among Trump’s most significant wins on election night, while Trump-backed candidates in Pennsylvania and Michigan did not fare so well.

Some political observers have been extremely harsh in their criticism of Trump and his endorsements. A veteran Republican strategist Scott Reed, said, “I mean, we had a historic opportunity, and Trump’s recruitment of unelectable candidates blew it for us.”

The anti-Trump strategist went on to say that “Trump’s now lost three elections in a row for the Republican Party, and it’s time to snap out of this foolishness.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce terminated Reed in 2020 after an internal review revealed he had “repeatedly breached confidentiality, distorted facts for his own benefit, withheld information from chamber leadership, and leaked internal information to the press.”

Reed’s criticism was echoed by former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who has also had a tortured relationship with Trump over the last several years.

Christie said, “We lost in ’18. We lost in ’20. We lost in ’21 in Georgia. And now, in ’22, we’re going to net lose governorships; we’re not going to pick up the number of seats in the House that we thought, and we may not win the Senate despite a president who has a 40% job approval.”

“There’s only one person to blame for that, and that’s Donald Trump,” concluded Christie.

Another Trump ally-turned-possible-enemy is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who smashed expectations, winning another term as the Sunshine State’s top executive by nearly 20 points.

Even as the victories in Florida for Republicans set new, high watermarks for the party there, Trump was quick to point out that he received more votes than DeSantis the last time he was on the ballot.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump asked, “Now that the election in Florida is over, and everything went quite well, shouldn’t it be said that in 2020, I got 1.1 Million more votes in Florida than Ron D got this year, 5.7 Million to 4.6 Million? Just asking?”

Numerous political operatives and observers claim DeSantis represents the path forward for a Republican party still in shock over the outcomes of the recent election.

“Ron DeSantis created a FL wave because his optimistic, bold & unapologetic conservatism won hearts & minds,” Texas Republican State Chairman Matt Rinaldi tweeted. “He led rather than followed polls. He stood for something. He took risks. He rejected moderation. He inspired people. This is the path forward for the GOP.”

Time will tell what Trump’s plan for the future is, but as his party roils with the path ahead, Trump is staking out the terms for a potential rivalry with DeSantis.

“I would tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering,” Trump said in a recent interview. “I know more about him than anybody — other than, perhaps, his wife.”

“I don’t know if [DeSantis] is running,” Trump said. “I think he would be making a mistake. I think the base would not like it. I don’t think it would be good for the party.”