Trump outperforms DeSantis against Biden and Harris
Former President Donald Trump has outplayed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in hypothetical 2024 presidential matchups against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.
In a potential rematch against Biden, Trump is up two points to 44%, compared to Biden’s 42%. Despite some Republicans’ calls for DeSantis for the Trump primary, the Harvard poll found DeSantis tied with Biden at 43%.
Trump also outperforms DeSantis in a potential presidential matchup against Harris, leading the vice president by seven points to 47% support. Meanwhile, DeSantis is down to just three percentage points of support when up against Harris, 42-39%.
The Harvard poll was taken just days after Trump officially launched his 2024 candidacy after months of speculation.
“You and everyone watching are the heart and soul of this incredible movement in the greatest country in the history of the world,” Trump told a crowd of supporters at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.
Although Biden has not officially announced his re-election campaign, throughout his first two years in office he has always indicated that he will run for president again. However, the Harvard poll found that 55% of voters had doubts about Biden’s mental fitness to serve as president.
On the other hand, DeSantis has remained largely silent on the prospect of a presidential election in 2024, neither declaring his intention nor ruling it out altogether. For example, when DeSantis’ Democratic opponent Charlie Crist asked if the governor would serve a full term during their debate last month, DeSantis fell silent, then chided Crist for being “interested in talking of 2024”.
A week before announcing his 2024 campaign, Trump warned DeSantis against running in 2024, arguing that the Florida governor “could hurt himself very badly.”
“I don’t know if he runs. I think if he runs, he could hurt himself a lot. I really believe he could seriously hurt himself,” Trump said. “I think he would make a mistake, I think the base wouldn’t like it – I don’t think it would be good for the party.”
Trump also suggested he would reveal “things about [DeSantis] it won’t be very flattering”, before adding: “I know more about him than anyone – except, perhaps, his wife”.
However, DeSantis on Wednesday downplayed the establishment media’s attempt to escalate a rift between him and Trump.
“We just finished this election. People just need to relax a bit on some of this stuff,” DeSantis told reporters when asked about the potential “civil war” brewing in the GOP.
If DeSantis decides to run for president, Trump would easily defeat the governor of Florida, according to the Harvard poll. The poll of 2,212 registered voters, conducted Nov. 16-17, found that Trump is the clear frontrunner in a potential GOP primary field, leading DeSantis 18 points to 46 to 28 percent.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
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