One can only imagine the Democrat reaction to the latest polls showing Donald Trump in the catbird seat for 2024. It’s nothing short of astonishing how the former president has managed to hold serve through what can only be described as a very rough patch. The 45th president’s electoral strength comes at a time when even the friendliest members of the media have put him out to pasture, and his voice remains silent on Twitter.
Admittedly these are early days, but even a glance at RealClearPolitics shows the political power of Trump. A Harvard-Harris survey conducted Jan. 18-19 of 2,050 registered voters placed 45 as a “clear favorite in a prospective GOP primary.” How clear? How about very.
From the bottom up, the poll numbers have former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sens. Tim Scott (SC), and Ted Cruz (TX) all at 1%. Next come former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Marco Rubio (FL), who are favored by 3% of Republicans. Former Trump Vice President Mike Pence is polling at 7% with the party faithful, but only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis comes in at double digits. Still, DeSantis stands at 28% to Trump’s 48%. Without the former president in the field, DeSantis moves up to 49%. But Trump is in the field, so that is quite the hypothetical.
Trump at Plus 20
Don’t like the Harvard-Harris numbers? Okay, how about Economist/YouGov? The ball remains in Trump’s court for the GOP nomination at a plus 12 with the same crowd dribbling in behind him. Then there is the Morning Consult survey that shows Trump with plus 17 over DeSantis. Even a Politico poll has Mr. MAGA at plus 15 for the Republican nod. All told, the RCP average shows the 45th president favored by 13 points.
It’s also telling that the Harvard-Harris survey revealed the former president stands at plus five points when going up against President Joe Biden. This is two points stronger than if DeSantis went head-to-head against the current guy in the Oval Office.
Donald Trump (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the big corporate media are doing what they do best – running down Trump’s chances in 2024. “Trump team struggles to consolidate support ahead of S.C. event,” blared one headline from a well-known legacy Washington daily. Rolling Stone magazine caught wind of that story and, on Jan. 22, published an article titled, “So Sad! Trump’s South Carolina Rally Getting Little Support from State Lawmakers.” This is what the old-guard media do best. They feed off one another, report on other media outlets as gospel, and – boom – after a while, they begin to believe their own narrative.
Whether it is true or not that the former president is having difficulty getting big-name politicians to come to his rally, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) are already confirmed. However, one wonders how much stock a populist like Trump puts into having politicos appear at his rallies. What he’s really after is the people, and it’s likely there will – as always – be many South Carolinians who will show up. Why? Because, like it or not, there are still a ton of Americans who support the candidacy and leadership of The Donald.
History aside, many roadblocks still stand in the way of the former president becoming the next person to inhabit the White House. Mind-boggling legal issues and an unfriendly establishment media sit at the top of the list. Even Fox News and the New York Post have soured on Trump, and he has returned the favor. No president in modern times has been elected without at least some support from the news industry. Should the America First president be able to clear those hurdles, it would be history in the making.
Trump is not one to quit easily, and if the polls demonstrate anything, it is that now, at this moment in time, the former president has the political wind at his back. To look at the poll numbers and suggest anything else would be folly.
