Donald Trump Gains More Momentum For 2024, According To Recent Poll

As we near the halfway point of Joe Biden's presidency, speculation continues to mount over the 2024 election. According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, Biden has continually seen his approval rating plummet, and it currently sits at an all-time low of 37% (with 55% disapproving). Per the New York Post, it's the combination of this low rating and America's economic troubles that's boosting Republican hopes of regaining control of Congress. While many Americans remain critical of Biden's handling of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, there's hope that a Republican might do a better job in office.

Within this divided environment, former President Donald Trump appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 26 to speak about his plans for 2024. "[Democrats are] going to find out the hard way, starting on November 8, and then again ... [in] November 2024, they will find out like never before," Trump said. "We did it twice and we'll do it again. We're going to be doing it again, a third time," he added, referencing his first two presidential runs. Trump has yet to explicitly state whether or not he would run for president again. Some, like former White House chief of staff Jim Kelly, claim he won't run again, as he doesn't want to be perceived as a "loser" twice should the Democrats prevail. But if Trump does run for reelection, a recent poll suggests he has plenty of support on his side.

When CPAC released a poll of the favorite Republican presidential candidates for 2024 on February 27, the New York Post reported that Donald Trump topped the list with 59%. On an interesting note however, the outlet also stated that Trump — who beat out second choice Ron DeSantis by 31% — appears to be slipping, while DeSantis is gaining on him. For example, the Florida governor was polling at just 21% in July 2021, and is now polling at 28%. Trump was polling at 70% in July 2021.

This isn't the first time that Trump has had to contend with DeSantis as a potential rival. In a straw poll conducted by the Western Conservative Summit in Denver in June 2021, a majority of those surveyed picked DeSantis as their top candidate for 2024, according to The Week. The Florida governor's popularity has boomed thanks to his handling of COVID-19, per CNN. Additionally, DeSantis' home state of Florida has become the unofficial hub for the Republican Party, ever since Trump moved to Mar-A-Lago after the 2020 election. Politico reports that Florida Democrats are worried as DeSantis' star continues to rise, but Trump remains his biggest roadblock when it comes to scoring the Republican presidential nomination.

According to the CPAC poll, Trump and DeSantis are far and away the top two prospective presidential hopefuls so far. The poll's third place finisher, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, got 2% support — and he was the only other prospective candidate to get more than 1%.