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Donald Trump’s Collapse Has Just Begun

Donald Trump speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. By Gage Skidmore.
Donald Trump speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.

Back in 2016, Donald Trump won the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire on February 9 of that year. It was the first primary or caucus won by Donald Trump in his initial run, after he lost the Iowa caucuses the week before, and it helped show that Trump really did have appeal to voters that year. 

In 2020, running for re-election, Trump dominated with 84.4 percent in New Hampshire, with former Massachusetts governor William Weld finishing second with 9 percent.

Donald Trump Has a Problem

In 2024, in Trump’s third bid for the presidency, he may find a bit more trouble, NBC News reported, ahead of Trump’s first visit to the Granite State ahead of the 2024 race. According to NBC, he faces potential trouble in winning over party regulars in that state. 

Donald Trump, who was to make his first official campaign event in South Carolina this Saturday, has also added an earlier event in New Hampshire. The event will be a keynote address at New Hampshire Republican Party’s annual meeting.

“It’s a party chafing over devastating midterm losses in November, when Trump-backed candidates lost both congressional contests and a Senate race in the state,” NBC News said, adding that Trump does remain the favorite in New Hampshire. “It’s dotted with those eager to hear from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis about his potential candidacy. And it’s a party that has grown fatigued over the drip, drip, drip of investigations dogging Trump.”

The Republicans in New Hampshire didn’t have a great year in 2022, losing the U.S. Senate rate with pro-Trump candidate Don Bolduc, and Republican Gov. Chris Sununu is not considered Trump-friendly.

“We just want the best normal candidate,” Gov. Sununu told NBC. He also said he doesn’t think Donald Trump can win again in 2024 .

“Really?” he said, when asked why he believes that. “Just fill in the blanks.” 

“I’m not pro-Trump. I’m not anti-Trump. I’m just moving on,” Sununu told NBC News. 

Other Republicans agreed.

“The core of the people inclined to be enthusiastic about Trump got behind Bolduc and lost. They got behind Karoline Leavitt for the House and lost. And they get behind [Bob] Burns for the other House seat and lost,” Republican delegate Bill Bowen told NBC News. “That has to peel off some portion of that enthusiasm.” 

“There’s an openness to a new generation of Republican leaders — that’s not to say that the president could not win. I do not think it’s a foregone conclusion,” New Hampshire Republican Mike Dennehy said in the article. 

Looking at the Rest of the Pack

According to a University of New Hampshire poll released Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has moved ahead of Trump

“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has opened a lead over former President Donald Trump among likely voters in the New Hampshire 2024 Republican presidential primary. Less than half of likely GOP primary voters think Trump should be running,” the poll said. 

DeSantis leads the poll with 42 percent, followed by Trump with 30 percent, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley with 8 percent, Sununu with 4 percent, former Rep. Liz Cheney with 4 percent, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan with 4 percent, and Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota with 2 percent. 

Several candidates are listed at 1 percent, such as former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Texas Sen. Tex Cruz. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin are listed at zero percent, with “other” at 1 percent and “don’t know/not sure at 2 percent.” 

In the Democratic version of the poll, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is in the lead, with 23 percent, followed by President Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 18 percent each, and Sen. Bernie Sanders with 15 percent. None of those candidates, all of whom ran in 2020, have announced that they’re running in 2024. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has 6 percent and Sen. Amy Klobuchar has 5 percent. 

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Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

Written By

Stephen Silver is a journalist, essayist, and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

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