Is Donald Trump the New ‘Comeback Kid’ – Twenty-six years ago before he was a reality TV star and long before he became president, Donald Trump shared his personal story about his business troubles in the 1990s in his book The Art of the Comeback.
Even Donald Trump’s harshest critics know it can be a mistake to count out the businessman.
Donald Trump Now Ahead of Ron DeSantis
According to a new Yahoo News-YouGov poll, the former president is actually leading Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. This was a significant reversal as DeSantis – seen as a serious contender for the Republican nomination for president next year – had been leading in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup for the past three months.
Previously, DeSantis led Trump 45% to 41% among Republican voters.
But now Trump leads DeSantis 47% to 39% — a net swing of 12 percentage points in Trump’s direction since early February.
This could suggest that Trump could prove far more resilient in 2024 than his rivals may have hoped or even expected.
However, DeSantis still remains at the top of multiple polls in being the GOP candidate that could most likely be a serious challenger to Donald Trump.
What Happens Next?
As Yahoo News reported, there has been little that has transpired over the past three weeks that fully explains the rapid shift in Trump’s standing. It could be a combination of “subtle factors,” however, including his February 22 campaign stop in East Palestine, Ohio – the site of the February 3 train derailment, which President Joe Biden hasn’t visited – and perhaps far more importantly a lull in the various probes into business dealings.
The biggest factor could be that other would-be Republican nominees have largely held back in attacks.
Currently, both Trump and DeSantis have a lead over Biden by two points in hypothetical 2024 matchups.
Trump’s gains have actually put him ahead of Biden in a general election matchup for the first time since June, and just last month Biden was ahead by six points with 47% of respondents saying they’d support the current Oval Office occupant over the former one, who had just 41% of respondents support.
Trump announced his campaign last November, but neither DeSantis nor Biden has officially launched their bids for the 2024 presidential election.
Still Wanted By Many Republicans
Donald Trump isn’t just leading over DeSantis and Biden at this point, but according to the Yahoo News/YouGov poll, nearly half of Republican and Republican-leaning voters (49%) now favor him over “someone else” (38%), an eleven-point margin, and up from five points just a month ago when it was 45% to 40%.
This comes even as Trump continues to face a number of legal challenges.
Of course, it is still nearly a year until the Republican primary season kicks off, and a lot can – and likely will – happen between then and now.
But one thing is certain: Donald Trump is already looking ready to make a comeback.
The question is whether the American people will support it.
MORE: Pete Buttigieg Is Destroying Himself
MORE: Are We Watching the End of Donald Trump?
MORE: Liz Cheney: Could She Join the Democratic Party?
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
