At least fourteen of Donald Trump's handpicked candidates are projected to have lost their election bids, according to an ABC News count — results that have some Trump aides concerned as the former president prepares for a "big announcement" regarding his potential 2024 presidential run.

Sources close to Trump described him as "fuming" at his Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday night as GOP candidates he had backed started to lose or underperform.

In addition, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' strong performance in Trump's adopted home state was a wakeup call for some Trump advisers, sources said. DeSantis, seen as a potential 2024 presidential rival for Trump, easily won reelection.

"This is a sinking ship," one top Trump adviser told ABC News. "We're not going to beat that."

"This was the end of the Trump era and the dawn of the DeSantis era," a Republican operative close to the Trump orbit told ABC News. "Like every other Trump catastrophe, he did this to himself with stupid and reckless decisions."

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