Donald Trump – Is His Political Future Reaching the End? Former President – and current presidential candidate – Donald Trump seems to be resorting to desperate measures to generate support ahead of his first campaign event.
Apparently, the former president is having trouble generating support with respect to both endorsements and attendance. “He’s having trouble convincing state lawmakers to attend, and his team has inundated South Carolina Republican officials with “pleading phone calls” over the past few weeks,” Yahoo reported.
According to a South Carolina lawmaker, “the Trump campaign is trying to consolidate support. But I don’t think it is going to be as quick as they think.”
Donald Trump vs. the Rest: South Carolina Republicans’ Support is Splintered
Part of the reason Donald Trump is struggling to gain support in South Carolina right now is that South Carolinians are excited about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“Right now, my constituency is as excited about Ron DeSantis as Donald Trump, if not more,” a South Carolina lawmaker said.
DeSantis has been surging, not just in South Carolina, but nationally; DeSantis has become the number one challenger to Trump’s attempt to secure a third consecutive GOP presidential nomination. Leaning on conservative principles and talent for opportunism, DeSantis cruised to a 20-point victory in Florida’s last gubernatorial election, demonstrating how popular he is at home (which also happens to be Trump’s new home state).
DeSantis isn’t Trump’s only problem in South Carolina. Two local political darlings are considering a bid for the 2024 ticket – former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and current South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. Haley was Trump’s ambassador to the UN and has a first-generation background that plays well with voters.
“Nikki Haley is probably our first South Carolinian since we voted for George Washington that has really had a chance of being President of the United States,” former South Carolina GOP chair Katon Dawson told the Washington Post. “And I think the Trump folks are going to run into that history.”
Scott, meanwhile, is South Carolina’s only black Republican lawmaker and a highly regarded figure in conservative politics.
Each will be viable at home if they decide to run in 2024 – meaning Donald Trump could be fighting for support against DeSantis, Haley, and Scott in South Carolina. No wonder early South Carolina support for Trump appears to be muted.
Beginning of the End? Donald Trump Losing Evangelical support
Trump’s struggles in South Carolina – and some would also say nationally – are partly a result of his loss of support from the Evangelical Christian community. That was support Trump relied on heavily in the past.
As Dave Wilson, president of the evangelical Palmetto Family Council told the Washington Post, “there is more than a little bit of softening” of Trump support in South Carolina.
Why? Trump’s recent comments and actions are discouraging the evangelicals. “A lot of people recognize the importance of the Trump presidency who are stepping back and are saying, ‘Is there another standard-bearer for the party and the issues we believe in? Someone who can carry us not just four more years, but eight more years and create momentum?’”
Trump recognizes that he is bleeding evangelical support – calling the demographic’s reluctance to support Trump’s third presidential bid a “great disloyalty.”
“Nobody has ever done more for Right to Life than Donald Trump,” Donald Trump said. “I put three Supreme Court justices, who all voted, and they got something that they’ve been fighting for 64 years, for many, many years.”
Be that as it may, Trump has a problem in South Carolina.
More: Should Joe Biden Quit?
More: How to Save Joe Biden?
More: Nikki Haley for President? Nope.
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison lives in Oregon and listens to Dokken.
