It’s starting to look like a Trump will be on top of the 2024 presidential ticket even if former President Donald Trump doesn’t challenge President Biden.
That’s because Donald Trump Jr. has surged to the head of the GOP pack in a new survey of challengers in a race that is minus his father.
Among GOP primary voters, Don Jr. has gone from sitting 10 points behind former Vice President Mike Pence in November to 6 points ahead, 21%-15%, in the McLaughlin & Associates survey.
No other Republican has double digits in the survey.
In a McLaughlin poll of the Conservative Political Action Conference participants released last Saturday, Don Jr. trailed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. It was 43% for DeSantis, 11% for Noem, and 8% for Trump.
The CPAC conference was in Florida for the first time.
The poll showing Don Jr. in the lead was done nationally and likely more accurately shows where Republicans are three years ahead of 2024.
Pollster Jim McLaughlin explained the differences in the surveys this way: “Different universes, CPAC universe and the other poll is nationally of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.”
But, he added, “It’s another example of how the grassroots and conservatives want Trump.”
“The first 30 days has been a disaster.” @DonaldJTrumpJr explains how Joe Biden’s presidency is going so far. #CPAC2021 #AmericaUnCanceled pic.twitter.com/C4YkPoDQZr
— CPAC 2021 (@CPAC) February 26, 2021
The former president hasn’t announced his plans for 2024 but hinted at a run in his CPAC speech last week.
Don Jr. was very popular on the campaign trail and was his father’s top surrogate. He told Secrets recently that he preferred politics over the boardroom.
“Politics allowed me to actually be who I was more so than the guy in a boardroom in New York City. It’s the guy who I was on the weekends. I was acting, per se, when I put on a suit to be in a boardroom. You know, I actually understand the base because I live with the base. These are my friends. These are my people,” he told Secrets.
He is also stepping up his attacks on Biden and plans a national tour linked to his recent book, Liberal Privilege: Joe Biden And The Democrats’ Defense Of The Indefensible, an Amazon nonfiction No. 1.
