Trump’s primary lead is off of peak but still huge: Donald Trump has 59 percent Republican support in the primary contest, down from the previous week but still commanding.
Could This Be a Problem for Donald Trump?
Last week, in the Morning Consult tracking poll, Donald Trump had 61 percent of Republican support, the highest he has had since the tracking poll launched late last year.
In this week’s version of the tracking poll, Trump is down by a couple of points but maintains a commanding lead.
According to the poll, Trump now has 59 percent support, a 45-point lead over second-place Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has 14 percent. Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy are tied with 7 percent, followed by Mike Pence with 6 percent, Chris Christie with 3 percent, and Tim Scot with 2 percent. Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum are each at 1 percent.
Morning Consult still shows President Biden leading Trump by 2 points in a hypothetical general election matchup.
NBC News reported this week that everyone else in the race is “playing for second,” both in the polls and in fundraising.
According to an NBC News analysis of recent fundraising data, “none of [the candidates] are flush with the kind of cash that would suggest they are poised to take down a front-runner who has more dollars, universal name recognition, and an unmatched capacity to suck up media attention.”
Scott, Haley, and DeSantis, per NBC, are in the best financial position. Mike Pence, per the report, is “nearing the end of his runway.”
“Overall, the numbers tell the story of a pack of candidates fighting one another for scraps when Trump continues to dominate national and state-by-state polling. He augmented those advantages by kicking his grassroots fundraising machine into overdrive this summer, turning the criminal charges he faces into successful calls for contributions — though a good chunk of that money is being used to cover his astronomical legal fees,” NBC said.
The primary campaign will continue with a third debate in November. According to Politico, the next debate is scheduled for November 8. It will be held in Miami and will feature perhaps the most eclectic group of media hosts in the history of presidential debates: NBC News, the conservative talk network Salem Radio, the Republican Jewish Coalition and the right-leaning video platform Rumble.
“But, like so many facets of the GOP, the company has legitimized radical voices in recent years. In 2023, it is defined by a stable of MAGA Media personalities, such as Charlie Kirk, Dinesh D’Souza, Sebastian Gorka, and Jenna Ellis — right-wing figures who have espoused incendiary views pushed dangerous conspiracy theories and told outright lies about the 2020 election,” a CNN analysis said of Salem, which also called out Rumble for its relationship with such extremists as Andrew Tate.
“NBC News has a long history of fostering conversations with the leaders that seek to shape domestic politics and foreign policy. For us, there is no higher responsibility. We look forward to continuing our leading reporting on the 2024 presidential race and spotlighting the issues that matter most to voters as they head to the polls,” Rebecca Blumenstein, president of NBC News Editorial, said in a statement following the announcement of the debate.
There is also some anger on the right over the inclusion of NBC News, an outlet distrusted by many Republicans and conservatives. “Are we trying to lose?,” former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on X this week.
The Tallahassee Democrat positioned the scheduling of a third debate as a “rebuff” of Trump, and his call to cancel the remaining debates.
So far, only four candidates have qualified for the debate: Trump, DeSantis, Ramaswamy, and Haley. Trump has implied that he will not participate in any future primary debates, and his campaign called for the remaining debates to be canceled. However, the former president has not confirmed that he will not be participating.
Author 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. Stephen has authored thousands of articles over the years that focus on politics, technology, and the economy for over a decade. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
