Donald Trump is ahead of Ron DeSantis by 15 percentage points, according to NBC News’ first national 2024 primary poll.
The double-digit primary election lead, however, is overshadowed by the poll results showing that only 6 percent of Americans want to see a rematch of 2020 between Trump and President Joe Biden.
The president is reportedly prepared to soft-launch his 2024 reelection campaign on Tuesday.
Trump, in the NBC News poll, earned 46 percent support of Republican primary voters compared to DeSantis’ 31 percent. The Florida governor has not yet announced a White House bid but is largely seen as the only potential candidate that could give Trump a good fight.
DeSantis was coming closer in the polls to Trump – even beating him in a few – but the recent indictment against the former president in the Stormy Daniels hush-money payment case has boosted his stance with Republicans.
A new poll shows Donald Trump double-digits ahead of Ron DeSantis
NBC News’ first national poll for the 2024 presidential primary shows Trump ahead with 46% of the vote, compared to second place DeSantis with 31%
Seventy percent of GOP respondents told NBC’s polling that they feel it’s more important now to rally around Trump’s 2024 bid following the charges.
Some of Trump’s 2024 rivals have suggested that the charges and arraignment was a way for Democrats to ensure his candidacy in 2024 because they believe that he will lose a general election against Biden.
No other candidates, announced or otherwise, were able to earn double-digit support among the just 292 Republican voters polled.
Former Vice President Mike Pence came in third with just 6 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, Nikki Haley, former South Carolina Gov. and once Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations, tied for fourth with Sen. Tim Scott, who has not announced, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has announced. All of the three politicians earned 3 percent support.
Longshot candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a multi-millionaire who earned his fortune in the biotech and asset management field, came in last with 2 percent.
Despite the polling lead over DeSantis, it is obvious that attack lines against the governor are not a winning strategy for the former president.
While Trump has made mocking his opponent’s and political rivals a signature of his campaign style, his jokes about DeSantis landed flat with attendees at a local GOP dinner Friday in Lee County.
Usually, when Trump keeps his attacks to Democrats or less popular Republicans, he gets big laughs and claps – but Florida Republicans aren’t having it when the butt of the joke is their beloved governor.
‘In Florida, I got 1.2 million more votes than your successful governor’s campaign,’ Trump said during the Lincoln Reagan dinner on Friday. ‘You know that. We got 1.2 million.’
The same poll shows that just a measly 6% of Americans want to see a rematch between Trump and Joe Biden in 2024
He then employed his voice mocking DeSantis and playing out the governor asking him for help during the 2018 gubernatorial race in the Sunshine State. ”Sir I’d love to have your support, sir. I’d love to have your support. I’m down at about three. I’d love to have your support.’
Trump dropped the performance and said: ‘Then there was like, a rocket ship after I gave it. Otherwise, right now, you’d have a lawyer someplace looking for business.’
Following Trump’s attack on DeSantis, there were a few awkward chuckles in the otherwise still room, which prompted him to add: ‘If that.’
DeSantis hasn’t announced a bid yet, but is taking all the traditional steps toward a run – including traversing the country to key states for a presidential candidate.
Of those polled, 70 percent do not think Biden should run for reelection, while 60 percent say Trump should not be making a third bid for the White House.
The Washington Post reported that when Biden returned from his trip to Ireland, he met a videographer in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to record a campaign launch video, which is planned to be released this week.
