If one trusts the declarations of Democrats, reasonings of “rehabilitated” Republicans like Mitt Romney and George W. Bush, and musings of the media, it would seem the previous president’s political career has died. Don’t believe the hype. Quinnipiac University asked what Republican voters want out of candidates for the 2022 midterms, and the answer was clear.
Survey says: Republicans want more Trump. Reports of his plummeting popularity, it seems, were greatly exaggerated.
Trump on Top
Donald Trump won more votes in the 2020 election than any other candidate in the history of U.S. elections, only to be outdone by Joe Biden. Despite numerous investigations into whether Trump’s first win was legitimate and four years of malicious attacks and “not my president” complaints, the left turned a hard 180° the moment the media declared Biden the winner. “It’s over; move on,” the Biden folk urged, gloating all the while that the mighty Trump had been toppled and that America was free of him at last.
Not so fast.
The Quinnipiac poll shows what many MAGA folk knew to be true all along. As polling analyst Tim Malloy put it:
“The numbers fly in the face of any prediction that Donald Trump’s political future is in decline. By a substantial majority, Republicans: (1) believe the election was stolen from him, (2) want Trump to run again, and (3), if they can’t vote for Trump, prefer someone who agrees with him.”
Of the Republicans who responded, 66% said they want The Donald to run again in 2024, while only 30% said they would not. Half a year after the election, 66% of Republican respondents still believe Joe Biden’s victory was not legitimate, while a mere 25% disagree.
Back in the Fight?
Will Trump run again in 2024? That’s a strong maybe. As Liberty Nation’s Sarah Cowgill explained:
“Relocating his base of operations to another DJT stronghold in New Jersey – the Bedminster golf club – the former president and his team are planning to host iconic Trump rallies across the country.
The Make America Great Again Action Super PAC, run by former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, is already fundraising at Bedminster. The money-making arm of the Republican Party is mass emailing teasers for GOP faithful to help select locations combined with the bonus of a quick link to donate to the cause.”
It’s possible Trump is just stumping for fellow America First Republicans – but it certainly seems like he’s gearing up for another run. The truth may well be as simple as he hasn’t decided yet. As Sarah put it, “whether Trump can and will lead the party once again remains the biggest mystery in modern politics.”
Close Enough Is Good Enough
Even if Trump doesn’t run for president again, it is likely his allies who will step up and take control of the party – and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may well be the man to beat in 2024. “The 45th president sounds more and more like he’s gearing up for one more run at the Oval Office. If he follows through, he will almost certainly capture the GOP nomination,” explained LN’s Tim Donner. “But if he chooses another path, Ron DeSantis will be waiting in the wings, ever closer to center stage.”
According to the Quinnipiac survey, 85% of Republican voters want candidates running in the 2022 midterms who mostly agree with Donald Trump. That should come as no surprise. While Trump’s overall approval rating never rose as high as some of his predecessors, it never dipped as low, either. He hovered at a fairly steady 38% to 47%. A mere nine-point spread compared to Obama’s 21% and George W. Bush’s 62% variance.
Amongst Republicans, however, Trump’s approval numbers were very similar to what they are today. Those party officials who lambast 45 for taking the party in a different direction don’t represent the majority of Republican voters, who were already headed that way when they elected the bold, unfiltered political outsider from New York.
And it’s clear the people still tread that path. When Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) spoke out against Trump and tried to steer the party back to the old ways, her fellow Republicans stripped her of her position as chair of the House Republican Conference. America First voters stand ready to replace her and others with candidates of a more Trump-like bent. Regardless of how it makes talking heads and party elites feel, the GOP is still the party of Trump. The man doesn’t even have to run to win.
~
Read more from James Fite.
