Former President Trump is not joining any of his dozen rivals for the Republican presidential nomination in hitting the campaign trail on Labor Day.
The former president does not have to.
With four and a half months to go until the Iowa caucuses kick off the 2024 GOP presidential nominating calendar, Trump is leagues ahead of his challengers in the latest national polling and crucial early state surveys.
Trump’s lead expanded over the spring and summer as he made history as the first former or current president in American history to be indicted for a crime. Trump’s four indictments – including in federal court in Washington D.C. and in Fulton County court in Georgia on charges he tried to overturn 2020 election results – have only fueled his support among Republican voters.
Trump stands at 59% support in the latest national poll in the GOP nomination race, a Wall Street Journal survey conducted Aug. 24-30. He held a gigantic 46-point lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, – who at 13% was slightly ahead of the rest of the field of contenders, all who registered in the single digits.
The most recent Fox News national poll, conducted in early August, indicated Trump had a 37-point lead.
While not as large, Trump still enjoys commanding double-digit leads over his rivals in the latest polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, which holds the first primary in the GOP nominating calendar and votes second after the Hawkeye State.
“We’ve always firmly believed that President Trump would be the clear and away front-runner in this race and once he started to campaign and travel around the country and engage with voters that it would be clear that he’s in the driver’s seat,” a top Trump campaign adviser, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News this summer.
However, compared to his rivals, Trump’s campaign schedule has been sparse. He last hit the trail Aug. 12 as he briefly greeted voters at the Iowa State Fair.
A factor in his light campaign dance card is that his schedule is being consumed by the criminal charges he faces in his four cases – each in separate jurisdictions.
“I’m sorry, I won’t be able to go to Iowa today, I won’t be able to go to New Hampshire today because I’m sitting in a courtroom on bulls—,” he said during a rally in New Hampshire in early August.
Trump’s dominance over his rivals is illustrated in more than just polls. He is also putting up some robust fundraising figures, courtesy of his legal troubles.
As Fox News first reported, Trump hauled in $9.4 million in less than a week after he surrendered to authorities in Atlanta in the Georgia election interference case and had his mug shot taken. The photo was instantly featured on T-shirts, mugs and posters, fueling fundraising. Trump’s campaign touted that in total, they raked in over $20 million in August.
Trump is also dominating coverage of the GOP nomination race with his trips to courthouses in New York, Miami, Washington and Atlanta receiving wall-to-wall coverage on the cable news networks and online.
Campaign aides tell Fox News the former president’s schedule will likely pick up in the coming weeks – starting with a stop on Friday in South Dakota, where he will team up with an ally and potential 2024 running-mate, conservative Gov. Kristi Noem.
Later in September, Trump is set to speak at the California GOP convention.
While Trump is currently lapping the field, a veteran Republican strategist says the race is far from over.
Longtime New Hampshire-based Republican strategist Jim Merrill, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns who is neutral in the 2024 nomination race, noted that “Donald Trump is king of the hill right now.”
However, Merrill noted that “there are a lot of candidates who are working really hard up here and what I’m seeing is that there’s an awful lot of interest in the candidates as they’re going around the state, holding town halls, doing parades. You’re seeing big crowds and interested voters.”
“REMEMBER” what Trump said~ “THEY AREN’T AFTER ME, THEY ARE AFTER YOU”…
“STOP, LOOK & LISTENING” comes to mind w/”EVERYTHING & ANYTHING” that is & / has gone sideways since JB took the seat whether it was legal /illegal.
Being in office for 50 yrs. & amounting to nothing but a face & the comment “OH, THAT GUY” hasn’t gotten him far in life insofar as success goes.
This is nothing more than “GREED” & that almighty hunger for “POWER” to “CONTROL” the masses & 80 million approved of these changes that has done nothing but “DESTROY” the very fabric of America & the foreign relationships w/certain countries that are retaliating & wanting “WAR” w/America.
“BUT” let’s all cheer for “THAT GUY” who has taken 40% of the total time he has spent in office “VACATIONING” @ his “FENCED” in beach house & those Delawareans paid for that fence. lol
America has “TERM LIMITS”~ it’s called “VOTING”~ but those sheeple are mesmerized into “VOTING” for the same bufoon time again!!
America needs “AGE LIMITATION”~ (35 yr. minimum -65 yr. maximum)
Cognitive testing, 1 wk. pd vacation, 40 hr., salary ($85k), gov. ins.
Getting back to the basic, after all they are paid “PUBLIC SERVANTS” working for “WE” the people to “DEFEND, PRESERVE & PROTECT” our home & country America as per oath of office!!!
According to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, a President’s term of office begins at 12:00 p.m. (noon) on January 20th of the year following an election. In order to assume his or her duties, the President-elect must recite the Oath of Office. The Oath is administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The President-elect places the left hand on the Bible, raises the right hand, and takes the Oath as directed by the Chief Justice. The Oath, as stated in Article II, Section I, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution, is as follows:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” (HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING REMOTELY THAT REFLECTS THIS FOR THE PAST 2.5 YRS.)!!!
In fact the “protect and defend” the United States has NOT be in action since JB took office. In fact he should be charged with treason for opening the border and encouraging the illegals to enter this country. We have immigration departments to take care of that and he has sidestepped that in every way possible.
IMPEACH JOE BIDEN FOR HIS TREASONOUS ACTS AGAINST THE UNITED STATES!!
Trump for 2024. We are behind you.