Trump’s 2024 campaign for the GOP nomination for president could be going better for the ex-commander-in-chief.
While he obviously maintains a high level of support among Republicans around the U.S., it’s simply not a given he’ll actually win the party’s nod. Recent polling from California, which as such a large state with so many delegates to offer could be critical in deciding the presidential primary race, showed DeSantis almost 20 percent ahead among registered Republicans there when it was just the two candidates — one confirmed and one (DeSantis) potential. DeSantis still led by a lot when others were included. The New York Times also spotlighted some data on Trump’s fundraising showing a large decline.
In 2021, Trump brought in $3.2 million in online donations in a period of 48 hours around the time of a speech he gave an edition that year of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) — and at the time, he wasn’t even formally running for anything! When finally confirming his long-expected bid for the presidency in 2024, Trump’s fundraising that day and the day following reached about half the level from that two-day period in 2021 when he wasn’t even formally vying for office. The later total was about $1.6 million, the Times said. Adding to the campaign’s issues, you can now include Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who infamously is a former press secretary in Trump’s White House and is now the governor of Arkansas, in the list of allies to Trump keeping their distance. On a call, the Times said she declined an entreaty from Trump to endorse him.
That’s different from outright endorsing somebody else, but it’s still a sign of faltering control. Others who’ve reacted similarly include GOP leaders in Iowa like Sen. Chuck Grassley and Governor Kim Reynolds, both of whom Bloomberg said ignored calls from Trump. And elsewhere, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) endorsed Nikki Haley. Norman was such an avid supporter of the now ex-president that he was texting Mark Meadows, who was then the chief of staff in the White House, about imposing martial law days before Biden would take the oath of office — although polling and Haley’s general reluctance to even directly target Trump, against whom she’s ostensibly running, suggest her campaign for president won’t be going much of anywhere. Trump does seem worried, though, about the possibility of DeSantis running for president. Trump’s been moping online about the conservative organization Club for Growth, which hosted the governor.
