More than 40% of respondents would support the candidacy of former POTUS Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP primaries, aimed at determining the Republicans' presidential candidate, a new poll has revealed.
The survey was conducted by a US media outlet, which reported that "Republican primary voters were read a list of 15 announced and potential candidates for the 2024 nomination" and that Trump "tops the list, with 43%."
He is followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 28%, former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence at 7% each, as well as and Texas Governor Greg Abbott and House Republican Liz Cheney at 2% each.
The poll comes after Trump quipped at DeSantis, delivering a fresh barb via his Truth Social platform. The 45th president branded the Florida governor a "RINO in disguise" - with the acronym RINO standing for Republican In Name Only – and insisted that the governor’s "poll numbers are dropping like a rock."
"Ron DeSanctimonious wants to cut your Social Security and Medicare, closed up Florida & its beaches, loves RINOS Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush, and Karl Rove (disasters ALL!), is backed by Globalist's Club for NO Growth, Lincoln Pervert Project, & 'Uninspired' Koch — And it only gets worse from there," the ex-POTUS argued.
Trump’s repeated verbal attacks against the Florida governor come amid speculation that the latter may oppose the 45th president in the upcoming primaries, even though DeSantis himself hasn’t yet announced his intent to run.
The former POTUS declared his bid in mid-November 2022, when he stressed that "in order to make America great and glorious again, I am […] announcing my candidacy for president of the United States."
Apart from Trump, entering the presidential race is Nikki Haley, who announced her bid in mid-February, saying that "It's time for a new generation of leadership."
She laid out some of her key campaign points, including that US businesses must hire Americans and not illegal immigrants, implement term limits for Congress, require mandatory mental competency tests for US politicians over 75 years old, increase domestic energy production, and prevent wars, among others.
Haley claimed that the US is currently on a path of "doubt, division and self-destruction, a path of fading patriotism and weakening power," adding that the stakes of the next presidential campaign are nothing less than the nation’s very survival.
In 2021, Haley, who served as South Carolina governor between 2011 and 2017, said that she would not run for the presidency in 2024 if Trump decides to run, adding that she would support the former president if he decided to do so.