Poll shows decline in Trump’s backing following debate absence.
Trump’s 2024 Rivals Chip Away at His Lead After Skipping Debate
According to a new poll, former President Donald Trump’s commanding lead over the primary field for the 2024 election is starting to shrink after he chose not to participate in the recent Republican National Committee debate.
The survey, conducted by Emerson College Polling, shows that Trump’s support has dropped by 6 percentage points, putting him at 50%. In a previous Emerson poll taken before the debate, his support was at 56%.
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Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung released a statement saying, “In addition to President Trump crushing all of the other primary candidates by a dominant margin, he is now leading Joe Biden in the general election. This further proves that President Trump is the only person who can win back the White House, supercharge the economy, secure our border, safeguard communities, and put an end to unnecessary wars.”
The most notable increase in support came from former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, whose support jumped from 2% to 7% after the debate. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who had the most speaking time during the event, also experienced a boost in support from 3% to 7%.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who was previously at 10% support, lost 1 point in the poll despite being considered the debate’s winner by some surveyed after the event. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has seen a decline in national polling recently, saw a slight increase in support from 10% to 12% after the debate.
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, cautioned that it is uncertain whether Trump’s slip in support is just a temporary setback or if other candidates will be able to capitalize on any post-debate momentum.
Trump made the decision to skip the debate at the last minute, instead choosing to upstage the event with an interview on Tucker Carlson’s show that aired simultaneously.
Nearly half of voters stated that Trump’s absence from the debate does not affect their decision in the primary. However, 30% said his absence made them less likely to vote for him, while 22% said it made them more likely.
“There appears to be a softening of support for Trump since last week’s survey, where 82% of Trump voters said they would definitely support him, compared to 71% after the debate. DeSantis’s support also softened from 32% who would definitely support to 25%, while Ramaswamy’s support remained consistent from 47% to 45%,” Kimball explained.
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