Trump trails behind Biden and DeSantis in new poll

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A new poll revealed that former President Donald Trump is lagging behind President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
• The survey showed that 61% prefer a different Republican nominee and that 56% preferred DeSantis.
• Other hypothetical matchups showed Biden besting Trump at 47.3%-39.5%, and DeSantis beating Biden at 46.6%-42.7%.

Former President Donald Trump is trailing behind potential 2024 rivals, President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a new poll showing hypothetical matchups.

According to the poll from USA Today and Suffolk University, only 31% want Trump to run while 61% prefer a different Republican nominee to continue Trump’s policies. David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, observed, “Republicans and conservative independents increasingly want Trumpism without Trump.”

The survey of 1,000 registered voters nationwide was conducted on Dec. 7-11.

The poll revealed that 56% of Republican voters preferred DeSantis as the 2024 presidential nominee while only 33% preferred Trump. Biden also bested Trump at 47.3%-39.5% in a potential rematch.

Biden’s lead over Trump has increased by four points since Suffolk University’s October survey. While the president’s favorable ratings have slightly increased, support for a second term declined from 45% to 40%. Less than a quarter of all surveyed voters supported a second term while over two-thirds were against it.

DeSantis was also ahead of Biden at 46.6%-42.7% in a hypothetical matchup.

The Florida governor has dismissed talks of a 2024 presidential campaign as he focused on his 2022 gubernatorial re-election, which he won by a landslide. Still, his no-nonsense policies have caught the attention of GOP lawmakers and supporters.

Trump continues to be the most popular and influential Republican, and has been seen as the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP primary. His campaign announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate was widely criticized, however, by both parties.

Members of Trump’s inner circle told Fox News that the campaign was deliberately announced early partly to deter potential rivals and to help avoid his increasing number of legal battles, but it ultimately didn’t help.

According to the survey, only 47% of Republicans supported Trump’s third campaign, compared to 60% in July. Among Republican voters, 45% did not want him to run again.

Trump-endorsed candidates suffered losses in crucial midterm races in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin, and most recently Georgia. The former president was also criticized for his dinner with antisemitic rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who brought White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.

Trump was also called out for suggesting that allowing such “fraudulent elections” called for the “termination” of U.S. regulations, “even those found in the Constitution.”

The former president has yet to hold campaign rallies but is expected to do so next month.

Taylor Budowich, spokesperson for the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. super PAC, dismissed such criticisms, telling Fox News that Trump is “ready to win” and “is going to do exactly that — no amount of wishful thinking from the media or consultant class will change it.”

Budowich added, “He is the only person in the country who is ready and capable of reversing America’s decline.”

Source: Fox News