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Deep Red State’s Latest Poll Reports Big Trouble for Trump’s 2024 Campaign

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

Is Donald Trump starting to feel a twinge of buyer’s remorse for announcing his 2024 campaign so early? The latest results from a poll based in deep-red Utah point to yes.

Trump came in a distant third place in the Deseret News-Hinckley Institute of Politics‘ poll of possible GOP contenders for the 2024 presidential race. However, whats even more shocking than Trump’s No. 3 position is the fact that respondents were warmer toward outgoing Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis decisively led the poll in a hypothetical Republican presidential primary, at 24.2 percent, followed by Cheney with 16.4 percent. Trump came in third place with 14.6 percent, nearly 2 points below Cheney

Trump was more popular than Cheney among self-identified Republicans, earning 21.1 percent to Cheney’s 10 percent, but DeSantis still emerged ahead in that group with 33.1 percent. 

However, more Utah voters said they didn’t know which candidate they’d cast their ballot for (20.7 percent) than backed either Trump or Cheney. 

The survey’s results are the latest sign Trump’s popularity among conservatives is fading. Last month, Trump officially announced his 2024 presidential campaign from his Mar-a-Lago resort but so far has received a tepid response from high-profile Republican lawmakers and donors who backed his previous presidential pursuits.

Trump’s numerous legal hurdles coupled with his bombastic personality have been contributing factors to many Republicans opting to look elsewhere for a candidate to defeat Joe Biden in the next election. In many polls, DeSantis has been seen closing the national gap with the former president but so far he’s remained tight-lipped over any potential campaigns for the White House.

Cheney, a harsh critic of the former President who lost her primary to a pro-Trump challenger, has floated a presidential campaign before. The outgoing Wyoming Congresswoman has told reporters before that she would do anything necessary to keep Trump out of the White House- including running against him.

Former National Security Adviser Mulling Trump 2024 Challenge

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The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Could Donald Trump be facing a primary challenge from one of his former employees?

Former National Security adviser John Bolton signaled to NBC he’s seriously considering mounting his own bid for the White House after Trump’s weekend comments signaling he supports “terminating” the U.S. Constitution.

If no other potential Republican candidates make “Shermanesque statements” in response to what Trump said, Bolton declared, “I’m going to seriously consider getting in.”

“I think to be a presidential candidate you can’t just say, ‘I support the Constitution.’ You have to say, ‘I would oppose people who would undercut it,’” Bolton said in his interview with NBC.

Bolton served in roles in the Reagan administration and as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush. He later worked as Trump’s national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019.

Following Bolton’s departure, he and Trump have exchanged several tense exchanges. According to The Daily Wire, in 2020 Bolton told reporters he would not vote for Trump, claiming Trump was not fit for office, and stated he would “figure out a conservative Republican to write in.”

Nikki Haley Reveals New Timeline for 2024 Decision

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The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is taking some time to mull her options before making any hasty decisions about 2024.

Haley, who served as Ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, has been named a potential contender to seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but says no final decision will come until after the holidays, according to The Hill.

“We are taking the holidays to kind of look at what the situation is,” the former South Carolina governor said at an event at Clemson University. “If we decide to get into it, we’ll put 1,000 percent in, and we’ll finish it.”

“A lot of people have asked if I’m going to run for president. Now that the midterms are over, I’ll look at it in a serious way, and I’ll have more to say soon,” Hayley said at a Las Vegas meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition earlier this month.

“For now, I’ll say this. I’ve won tough primaries and tough general elections. I’ve been the underdog every single time. When people underestimate me, it’s always fun,” she added. “But I’ve never lost an election. And I’m not going to start now.”

Earlier this fall, Haley told reporters that she would not launch her own bid for the White House if Donald Trump runs for president in 2024 but it seems she’s reconsidering.

Trump announced his own bid for the presidency earlier this month but has been met with a lukewarm response from high-profile Republicans- and donors.

Veteran Republican strategist John Thomas, who backed Trump during the 2016 and 2020 elections, recently told The Washington Examiner that he will not be supporting Trump a third time saying the bombastic Republican isn’t a viable candidate to defeat Democrats and take back the White House.

Thomas recently created the Ron to the Rescue super PAC and says he’s committed to spending at least $50 million in the next six to 12 months to ensure the governor earns the GOP nomination over Trump. However, DeSantis has not even announced his presidential campaign.

“The problem is, for Trump, is he needed to announce and pretty much steamroll everybody. He needed all the donors to capitulate his way. He needed all the party leaders to come his way, and while he’s had some success, it’s not been unanimous, and he needed it to almost be unanimous because the cracks that are appearing are going to turn into canyons very soon,” he explained. “He’s going to be constantly trying to, like, plug these leaks. I think his legal challenges, whether they have merit or not, I would think are going to turn his operation into more of a sclerotic beast.”

“I still like the guy. I just think he should move from a party leader to a party elder. That’s kind of the nuanced dynamic here that I want to make sure it’s not lost in the media, and also voters are reminded that it’s OK to vote for somebody else. It doesn’t mean you don’t like Trump,” Thomas continued. “I think at the end of the day, particularly primary voters want to get excited about their nominee, but it really is a sport about winning. If you don’t win, you can’t enact your legislative agenda. It’s not just about rallies and having a good time. It’s about winning, and Trump has kind of called into question at best his ability to do that anymore.”

California Governor Finally Breaks Silence on 2024 Run

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Casa Rosada (Argentina Presidency of the Nation), CC BY 2.5 AR via Wikimedia Commons

California Governor Gavin Newsom is putting rumors to rest that he’s plotting a primary challenge against Joe Biden in the next election cycle.

Newsom, who has faced increased scrutiny recently due to speculation he’s planning to mount a presidential campaign, told reporters that he’s “all in” on Biden 2024 and has made that same commitment to other White House officials, according to Mediaite.

“I’ve told everyone in the White House, from the chief of staff to the first lady,” he recounted to me as we sat on the top floor of California’s now-ceremonial governor’s mansion on election night.

His message to Ron Klain and Jill Biden over the summer — when he visited Washington amid growing speculation, and considerable West Wing irritation, that he was plotting a primary challenge — was to count him as a firm supporter of Biden’s reelection: “I’m all in, count me in,” he said he told them.

Newsom relayed the same to Biden himself on election night.

Newsom says when he spoke to Biden on Election Night, he told the president “I’m all in; put me in coach. We have your back.”

Newsom’s declaration of support for Biden comes as he already faces a 2020 rematch against Donald Trump, who recently announced his own 2024 campaign. However, Trump’s announcement has been met with mixed feelings from Republicans as some say his bombastic character and history make him unlikely to win another national election.

Over the weekend, Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced he plans to support Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president in 2024 if he mounts a bid, despite just reinstating Trump’s Twitter account access.

“I’m fine with Trump not tweeting,” Musk wrote in reply to a tweet about Trump’s restored account. “The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service.”

“Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America,” he said.

In his reply thread, Musk said that in 2024 he wants someone “sensible centrist” in office, and that Biden has not been that. When someone replied to ask him directly whether Ron DeSantis would fit the bill, he said yes.

Amanda Head: Are You on the #TrumpTrain for 2024?

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Donald Trump officially kicked off this third presidential campaign while delivering a speech Tuesday evening from his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Are you all in on Trump 2024 or keeping your options open?

Watch Amanda break it down below.

Trump Announces 2024 Presidential Campaign

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

While addressing a crowd in his Mar-a-Lago resort former President Donald Trump officially declared his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

“Ladies and gentlemen, America’s comeback starts right now!” Trump said to a cheering crowd.

“The decline of America is being forced upon us by Biden. This decline is not a choice we must accept,” Trump said.

Epoch Times editor Ivan Pentchoukov tweeted shortly before Trump’s speech that tonight’s remarks follow a similar time frame to his initial 2016 campaign announcement.

https://twitter.com/IvanPentchoukov/status/1592666689111408641

Former President Donald Trump filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday to run for a third consecutive White House bid, ahead of a planned announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.

The paperwork listed “Donald J. Trump for President 2024.”

Trump’s main political committee had approximately $70 million in the bank as of mid-October, which could be transferred to a newer super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc.

Trump teased the announcement on Election Day eve at a rally in Ohio to support U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance.

“I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.,” Trump said toward the end of a rally near Dayton, Ohio, where he was campaigning for a host of candidates in the state, including Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance.

“We want nothing to distract from the importance of tomorrow,” Trump said.

As Great America News Desk previously reported:

However, while a Republican red tsunami was expected to sweep the midterm elections the results thus far have been disappointing as the GOP has yet to officially win a majority in either chamber. Some conservatives have blamed Trump’s interference as a major factor behind the lackluster results and have expressed hopes he will reconsider his announcement.

Former House Speaker for the GOP, Newt Gingrich, stated on Wednesday that he believes Trump might be reconsidering his plans for 2024.

“I mean, just in my own emails today, [with] the number of people who want somebody other than Trump who have decided, literally overnight, that person is going to be DeSantis, he’s going to find it almost impossible to avoid running,” Gingrich told Just the News. “I think Trump’s got to look at the results and be troubled.”

Trump’s announcement tees up a re-match against Joe Biden, who has said he plans to seek a second term.

This story is developing. Stay with Great America News Desk for updates.

DeSantis Responds to Abrupt Trump Attacks

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is finally responding to the surprise attack from former President Donald Trump last week, calling it “noise.”

DeSantis was asked by a reporter what he thinks about Trump’s “big announcement” tonight and his thoughts about Trump repeatedly attacking him. (RELATED: Trump Goes Nuclear on Gov. Ron DeSantis, Glenn Youngkin)

“Well, you know, one of the things I’ve learned in this job is when you’re doing, when you’re leading, when you’re getting things done, you take incoming fire, that’s just the nature of it,” DeSantis said. “I roll out of bed in the morning, I’ve got corporate media outlets that have a spasm, just the fact that I’m getting up in the morning, and it’s constantly attacking, and this is just what’s happened.”

“I don’t think any governor got attacked more particularly by corporate media than me over my four-year term,” DeSantis continued. “And yet, I think what you learn is all that’s just noise. And really what matters is: Are you leading? Are you getting in front of issues? Are you delivering results for people? And are you standing up for folks? And if you do that, then none of that stuff matters. And that’s what we’ve done.”

“We focused on results and leadership. And, you know, at the end of the day, I would just tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night,” DeSantis continued. “The fact of the matter is, it was the greatest Republican victory in the history of the state of Florida.”

Trump also targeted Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin in a shocking message. Both Republican governors have been floated as potential contenders for the Republican presidential nomination.

Trump is expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign in a Nov. 15th announcement from Mar-a-Lago.

However, while DeSantis has decided to move past Trump’s comments the former president seems to be doubling down. In a Tuesday afternoon Truth Social message Trump targeted DeSantis again by pointing out a 2018 gubernatorial ad in which the Florida governor praises him.

In a tongue-in-cheek ad, seemingly no longer available on his YouTube page, DeSantis was shown building a toy wall and reading a book about Trump to his children, brandishing himself as a “pit bull Trump defender.” 

“Hopefully TODAY will turn out to be one of the most important days in the history of our Country,” Trump teased in another Truth Social post.

GOP House Conference Chair Endorses Trump Ahead of Official 2024 Announcement

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Elise Stefanik with Donald Trump via Wikimedia Commons

While conservatives seem to be abandoning former President Donald Trump ahead of his potential 2024 bid House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is doubling down on the former president.

In a statement to The New York Times, Rep. Stefanik said that she’s “proud” to endorse the former President despite the fact he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy yet.

“I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024,” Stefanik said. “It is time for Republicans to unite around the most popular Republican in America who has a proven track record of conservative governance.”

The No. 3 Republican lawmaker’s endorsement comes at a time of uncertainty surrounding Trump as he faces blame for Republicans’ lackluster midterm results. This year’s midterms were expected to be a Republican blow-out but instead, the GOP has experienced a weaker-than-expected performance.

As of Friday, neither political party has claimed an official majority in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

In a separate statement to Breitbart News, Rep. Stefanik explained why she made her endorsement so early.

“Republican voters determine who is the leader of the Republican Party and it’s very clear President Trump is the leader of the Republican party. What the media fails to report is that we just won the midterms and flipped the House,” Stefanik in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News.

“I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President in 2024. I fully support him running again,” she continued. “Under his presidency, America was strong at home and abroad, our economy was red hot, our border was secure, our neighborhoods were safe, our law enforcement was respected, and our enemies feared us,” Stefanik said. “We cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden’s failed policies that have led to the inflation crisis, border crisis, and crime crisis. It is time for Republicans to unite around the most popular Republican in America, who has a proven track record of conservative governance. Poll after poll shows that President Trump would defeat any Republican challenger by massive margins, and would beat Joe Biden if the election were held today. President Trump has always put America First, and I look forward to supporting him so we can save America.”

On Election day eve, Trump teased his plans to make a “big announcement” on Nov. 15th with many supporters believing he plans to officially kick off his 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump confirmed that he will be holding a “special announcement” at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 15 in a press release on Thursday night. 

However, Republicans’ less-than-stellar midterm outcome has spurred infighting among the party with many prominent Republicans pointing the finger at Trump. Since Tuesday, multiple Republicans have publicly announced they do not intend to support Trump’s next presidential bid and have urged him to reconsider.

Former House Speaker for the GOP, Newt Gingrich, stated on Wednesday that he believes Trump might be reconsidering his plans for 2024.

“I mean, just in my own emails today, [with] the number of people who want somebody other than Trump who have decided, literally overnight, that person is going to be DeSantis, he’s going to find it almost impossible to avoid running,” Gingrich told Just the News. “I think Trump’s got to look at the results and be troubled.”

Retiring Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey also blamed Trump for this year’s midterm results while speaking to CNN.

“President Trump had to insert himself and that changed the nature of the race and that created just too much of an obstacle,” Toomey said on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront.”  

“And by the way, it’s not just Pennsylvania. You look all over the country, there’s a very high correlation between MAGA candidates and big losses, or at least dramatically underperforming,” he added, referring to Trump’s slogan: Make America Great Again.  

Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Sears, who has publicly supported Trump in the past also said that Republicans must move on from Trump after the midterms.

“A true leader understands when they have become a liability,” Sears said. “A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage, and the voters have given us that very clear message.” 

Former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who was known to clash with Trump on occasion, said the former president was a “drag” for Republican candidates across the country.

“I think Trump’s kind of a drag on our ticket. I think Donald Trump gives us problems politically,” he said during an interview in Janesville, Wis., his hometown.  

“We lost the House, the Senate and the White House in two years when Trump was on the ballot, or in office,” he said. “I think we just have some Trump hangover. I think he’s a drag on our office, on our races.” 

ABC Military Journalist Disappeared After Being Mysteriously Targeted by FBI

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FBI Headquarters Washington DC [Photo Credit: I, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

In a very strange tale, Rolling Stone recently reported that an acclaimed military journalist who has exposed shocking military cover-ups, friendly fire deaths, and foiled terror plots, disappeared after his home was raided by the FBI in April.

The magazine cited “sources familiar with the matter” as saying that the ABC producer James Gordon Meek was found with classified material on his laptop by the team of heavily armed FBI agents who appeared at his high-end, penthouse apartment in Virginia.

But this made no sense to friends and outside observers who noted that anything like that on his computer would be for a story he was likely working on.

Meek’s attorney, Eugene Gorokhov, told Rolling Stone: “Mr. Meek is unaware of what allegations anonymous sources are making about his possession of classified documents.”

Prior to his 13 years at ABC, Meek was a senior investigator for the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.

There was a great deal of speculation about what happened to Meek since he resigned from ABC immediately after the raid and declined a prestigious award soon thereafter.

He totally disappeared for the next several months, fueling even more speculation.

Some say his situation is a case of the Biden Justice Department targeting a journalist who had been extremely critical of Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan retreat.

“Independent observers believe the raid is among the first—and quite possibly, the first—to be carried out on a journalist by the Biden administration,” the magazine reported.

But later reports dismissed those concerns.

As the Daily Beast reported:

Inside ABC News, however, staffers were baffled by this framing, since Meek resigned from the network via email on April 27—the same day as the raid—citing “personal reasons” and told friends it was to “save colleagues and the company any embarrassment,” according to two people familiar with the situation.

Although the FBI declined to comment on the probe, the DOJ was more forthcoming, suggesting in a statement to Confider that the raid was not actually about Meek’s reporting work, despite what the Rolling Stone article seemed to indicate. “While the department cannot speak to any specific case or activity, the Department strictly adheres to the Attorney General’s July 2021 memorandum prohibiting the use of compulsory process with regards to members of the news media acting within the scope of newsgathering activities,” wrote Dena Iverson, principal deputy director in the DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs.

ABC News sources similarly poured cold water on the idea that Meek was being probed for his journalism: “If the purpose of the FBI’s search is to find classified documents the first call you’d be making would be to ABC’s lawyers because you want the protection of the company,” one such insider told Confider. “We would’ve defended him; ABC’s lawyers would be right there,” another network insider said.

In the aftermath of the FBI raid Meek also suddenly ended his involvement in a book he was co-writing with Lt. Col. Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret, entitled ‘Operation Pineapple Express: The Incredible Story of a Group of Americans Who Undertook One Last Mission and Honored a Promise in Afghanistan.’

Mann told Rolling Stone: ‘He contacted me in the spring, and was really distraught, and told me that he had some serious personal issues going on and that he needed to withdraw from the project.

Interestingly, Meek, who has not been charged with any crime, has since reportedly deleted photos of firearms and ammunition from his personal Facebook page.

Meanwhile, more recent reports have shown that Meek is now living discreetly with his elderly mother in McLean, Virginia.

The Daily Mail reported: “‘Missing’ ABC producer James Gordon Meek has emerged from hiding – but refuses to discuss the mysterious FBI raid that brought his storied journalism career to an abrupt halt.”

The reasons for the raid and his ‘disappearance’ from journalism remain a mystery.

Trump Awards New Hampshire Republican Last-minute Endorsement

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

New Hampshire Republican Senate candidate Don Bolduc received a late-night endorsement from former President Donald Trump but not before taking a swipe at him

“General Don Bolduc has run a great campaign to be the U.S. Senator from the beautiful State of New Hampshire. He was a strong and proud “Election Denier,” a big reason that he won the Nomination, but he then disavowed. He has since come back, at least on busing, but that is only a small part of N.H. Election Fraud. Nevertheless, Don Bolduc has asked for my Endorsement, and he’s got it, Complete & Total. His opponent is a disaster on Crime, the Border, Inflation, & all else. Vote for Don Bolduc!” Trump said.

Previously, Bolduc aligned himself with Trump’s 2020 election interference claims before backtracking after winning the Republican nomination.

“The election was not stolen,” Bolduc previously told Fox News. His explanation was that he wanted to “move us forward to 2022 and 2024.” Bolduc’s waffling on the 2020 election is what caused Gov. Chris Sununu to endorse him.

Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan, immediately seized on the news. “Donald Trump said it himself: Don Bolduc is an election denier, and his endorsement is further evidence that if elected, Don Bolduc would work to overturn our elections and continue to promote dangerous conspiracy theories that undermine New Hampshire’s free and fair elections,” she wrote on Twitter.

So far, Bolduc has yet to publicly address Trump’s endorsement.

RealClearPolitics has labeled the New Hampshire Senate race a “toss up” but Democrats are projected to hold onto the seat. However, recent polls have shown Bolduc rapidly closing the gap against Hassan, teeing up the possibility Republicans manage to flip the seat.