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Christie Predicts Trump Will Become GOP Nominee If He Wins New Hampshire

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Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) predicted that if Donald Trump wins the New Hampshire primary later this month he will more than likely move on to become the party’s nominee.

While speaking at a town hall event in New Hampshire, Christie warned that Nikki Haley’s popularity in her home state of South Carolina will not be enough to deter Trump if he wins the Granite State. South Carolina’s primary comes next month.

“If he wins here, don’t expect South Carolina to save us; it’s not going to happen,” the former New Jersey governor told the crowd Tuesday. “So you all are the ones who are going to make the call here.”

Trump currently leads with 41.5 percent support in The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s polling average of the state. Haley, the former South Carolina governor, places second with just more than 30 percent. Christie trails in a distant third place with 11.5 percent.

Christie expressed doubts at the town hall about Haley’s ability and interest in defeating Trump for the nomination.

He argued she is not actually running to beat Trump because she said in the past she would pardon him if he’s convicted in any of his criminal trials. She also has not ruled out being the former president’s running mate, Christie added.

“Let’s say I dropped out of the race right now and I supported Nikki Haley. And then three months from now, four months from now, when you’re ready to go to the convention, she comes out as his vice president. What will I look like?” he said. “What will all the people who supported her at my behest look like?” 

Republican Gov. Warns Against Haley For Vice President

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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said former President Trump should not pick fellow GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley as his running mate.

Noem was asked by Newsmax’s Eric Bolling if it would be a mistake if Trump chose Haley to be his vice presidential pick and she only has one answer. She quickly replied “yes.”

“But if he picked her, I would tell him I disagreed with him. But then I would support the ticket, because he’s still the president and the president still makes the decisions,” Noem said Tuesday.

The popular South Dakota Governor has previously said she would be Trump’s running mate “in a heartbeat.” In September, the former president said he likes “the concept” of a female vice president but hadn’t given much thought to whom he would choose.

Noem is reportedly among a group of rumored candidates, including Haley.

“And you know, I just, I’ve had a lot of disagreement with Nikki Haley over the years, and I just don’t know which Nikki Haley is going to show up every day,” Noem said, highlighted by Mediaite. “She’s a different person depending on whatever works for her political agenda.”

“So, I just, what I love about President Trump, or what I think the American people love about President Trump, is that he’s just himself and he’s just genuine,” Noem continued. “He’s just a normal human being who tells the truth, and gets up every day fighting for people. He has no reason to do this job other than the fact that he really truly does believe in America. And he wants to put the people out there — they get up every day and go to work. He wants to put them first.”

Trump Scores Endorsement From Top House Republicans

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump is scoring endorsements left and right…

On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), the No. 2 Republican in the House, endorsed former President Trump in his 2024 presidential bid.

“I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024, and I look forward to working with President Trump and a Republican House and Senate to fight for those families who are struggling under the weight of Biden’s failed policies,” Scalise wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In a statement reported by Fox News, Scalise focused on migration issues at the southern border and economic metrics during Trump’s first term in office.

“The economy was strong and interest rates were low — grocery costs were affordable, and families could afford to buy a house and provide for their children,” Scalise said in the statement. “The border was secure and crime was down. America had secure energy policies, keeping gas and utility prices low.”

And he hit President Biden on border enforcement.

“Fiscal Year 2023 surpassed Fiscal Year 2022 as the worst year at the border with the most migrant encounters on record, 169 individuals on the terrorist watchlist apprehended attempting to enter illegally, and over 27,000 pounds of fentanyl seized by the CPB,” Scalise said. “In Joe Biden’s America, our communities aren’t safe.”

On Wednesday, Trump solidified his support from House GOP leaders with Tom Emmer’s official endorsement.

“Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power. We cannot let them. It’s time for Republicans to unite behind our party’s clear frontrunner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President,” Emmer said in a statement posted Wednesday to X, formerly known as Twitter.

Emmer had previously indicated in an interview with The Hill last year that he might not endorse a candidate in the primary.

Biden’s Support Dips Among Key Voting Blocs As Trump Surges Ahead

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Joe Biden via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Not a good start to the New Year for Joe Biden…

The latest poll conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University reported Biden is losing with several of the key demographics that helped him win the White House in 2020.

The Hill has more:

Biden earned 34 percent support among Hispanic voters surveyed, compared to Trump’s 39 percent. That marks a large decline since 2020, when Biden earned 65 percent of the demographic group.

The president has also lost support from Black voters. After carrying 87 percent support in the demographic in 2020, Biden now has just 63 percent, the survey found.

His support from younger voters has dropped as well. In 2020, Biden crushed Trump by 24 points among the group. But the survey found that Trump now leads among voters under 35 with 37 percent support to Biden’s 33 percent.

However, the USA Today poll noted that many Black voters are opting to shift their support to third party candidates instead of Trump.

Twenty percent of Hispanic and Black voters surveyed and 21 percent of younger voters say they will support someone other than Trump or Biden.

Trump Accuses GOP Primary Rivals Of Trying To Rig Iowa Caucus

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In a Tuesday video message, former President Donald Trump urged supporters to show up for the 2024 Iowa Caucus while accusing his opponents of cheating.

Trump began the video clip posted to Truth Social by thanking his “Trump caucus captains” and urging them to “turn out” their voters on caucus night.

“Teach them how to caucus. Take them in your car on caucus night. If you have to do whatever is necessary, we’ve got to get them in. We got to make America great again. So do whatever it takes. If you do, we will win and win big,” Trump said in what began as a fairly standard political message.

Trump then accused the process of being rigged.

“And that’s what you have to do. You know, the other side does cheat!” he insisted, adding:

And we’re not going to let that happen. We cannot let that happen. But that’s what we need from you. Get in your car, get a lot of people and get down and caucus. Give a great speech for me. I hope you will. And I know you will have such confidence in you as you had in me. And you have in me.

During the 2016 presidential contest, Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) beat Trump in the Iowa Caucus and was accused of cheating, according to Mediaite.

“Based on the fraud committed by Senator Ted Cruz during the Iowa Caucus, either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified,” Trump added and later threatened to sue.

GOP Lt. Governor Suggests Removing Biden From Texas Ballot

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Joe Biden via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Republicans want revenge…

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick floated removing President Biden from the state’s primary ballot as a response to the Colorado Supreme Court’s shock ruling.

“Seeing what happened in Colorado tonight … makes me think — except we believe in democracy in Texas — maybe we should take Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas for allowing 8 million people to cross the border since he’s been president, disrupting our state far more than anything anyone else has done in recent history,” Patrick said in an interview with Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham.

On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 state ballot, citing the 14th Amendment’s so-called insurrection clause. (RELATED: Colorado Supreme Court Bans Trump From Ballot)

The 4-3 ruling cited the 14th Amendment and argued Trump was involved in an insurrection by prompting false claims of election fraud and directing his supporters to go toward the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump’s campaign has vowed to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Tucker Carlson Says This Running Mate Would Make Him Abandon Trump

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

This is a step too far for Tucker…

Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson says that if Donald Trump taps Nikki Haley as his running mate not only will he not vote for the ticket but he will openly advocate against it.

“I would not only not vote for that ticket, I would advocate against it as strongly as I could,” Carlson said this week during an interview with conservative media personality Tim Pool.

“That’s just poison,” Carlson added, blasting Haley as “not left, but … neoliberal in the darkest, most … nihilistic way” and saying she “has no real popular support.”

Carlson called Haley a “creature of the oligarchs” and said her joining Trump’s campaign “would be reason to oppose the ticket.”

Carlson recently brushed aside suggestions that he could be a potential vice presidential pick for Trump after an Axios report indicated Melania Trump is advocating for Trump to tap Carlson for the role. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Shoots Down Vice President Rumors)

“God would have to yell at me very loud,” Carlson said at the American Principles Project Foundation’s annual Christmas gala, where he gave a speech, according to Semafor.

CNN Report Finds Trump Leading In Key Battleground States

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Bad news for Biden…

The latest CNN poll found former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden in Georgia and Michigan after failing to win the states during the 2020 election.

CNN has more:

In Georgia, a state Biden carried by a very narrow margin in 2020, registered voters say they prefer Trump (49%) over Biden (44%) for the presidency in a two-way hypothetical matchup. In Michigan, which Biden won by a wider margin, Trump has 50% support to Biden’s 40%, with 10% saying they wouldn’t support either candidate even after being asked which way they lean. In both Michigan and Georgia, the share of voters who say they wouldn’t support either candidate is at least as large as the margin between Biden and Trump.

Overall, just 35% in Michigan and 39% in Georgia approve of Biden’s job performance, the surveys find, and majorities in both states say his policies have worsened economic conditions in the country (54% in Georgia, 56% in Michigan).

Respondents also noted that President Biden’s age plays a major role in his leadership ability. For months, Republicans and Democrats alike have pointed to Biden’s numerous public gaffes and missteps as signs the President is ineffective and should not serve another term.

Most voters in both states say Biden, who’s 81, does not have the attributes they’re looking for in a president when it comes to his policy positions (57% in Michigan, 56% in Georgia), his ability to understand the problems of people like them (60% in Michigan, 56% in Georgia) or his sharpness and stamina (69% in Michigan, 66% in Georgia).

Fewer in each state say that Trump, who’s 77, falls short of their expectations for a president on those same measures. But Trump fares worse than Biden on temperament – 57% in Michigan and 58% in Georgia say the former president doesn’t have the temperament they’re looking for, compared with about half who say the same about Biden.

Trump and Biden are the clear frontrunners for the GOP and Democrat presidential nominations, setting the stage for a 2020 rematch in 2024.

The polls, conducted by SSRS, also surveyed respondents on how other GOP presidential primary candidates would fare against Biden in the two battleground states.

In a matchup between Nikki Haley and Biden, the former U.N. ambassador would win the general election in both states, according to the polls.

In a hypothetical general election matchup between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Biden, the sitting president narrowly leads DeSantis by 3 percentage points in Georgia. In Michigan, DeSantis leads Biden by 7 percentage points.

Tucker Carlson Shoots Down Vice President Rumors

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson doesn’t seem keen on running for public office, however, he did not completely rule out the possibility.

Carlson was asked during an event this week if he would consider being Donald Trump’s running mate.

“God would have to yell at me very loud,” Carlson said at the American Principles Project Foundation’s annual Christmas gala, where he gave a speech, according to Semafor.

One attendee at the dinner asked Carlson about a recent Axios report suggesting former first lady Melania Trump was advocating for her husband, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, to consider selecting Carlson as a running mate.

From the report:

She thinks Carlson would make a powerful onstage extension of her husband, a source close to Trump told us. The former first lady has made few campaign appearances this time around — but a Trump-Carlson ticket might encourage her to hit the trail.

Trump, asked last month about Carlson as a potential V.P., said: “I like Tucker a lot. … He’s got great common sense.”

Carlson responded that he doesn’t have a close relationship with the former First Lady and hasn’t planned on running for public office.

“I don’t know her, really,” Carlson said. “To go from being, like, a well-paid street corner schizophrenic to, like, a politician — it’s just kind of hard to envision.”

Biden Says Re-Election Plans Entirely Revolve Around Trump

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Joe Biden via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Now we see where President Biden’s priorities are…

During remarks to donors at one of the fundraisers he attended on Tuesday in Massachusetts the President said he doubted he would seek a second term in the White House if Donald Trump was not also running for President.

“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running. But we cannot let him win,” Biden said, according to a press pool report from the event.

Another reporter also asked if Trump were to drop out of the race if Biden would consider doing the same.

“Would you drop out if Trump drops out?” the reporter asked.

“No, not now,” President Biden replied.

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), who is running a challenge against Biden for the Democrat Party’s 2024 nomination, responded to Biden’s quote on Tuesday, saying on X, “Says the candidate with lower approval figures and losing to Trump in every poll of consequence. It’s downright delusional.”

Trump has been narrowly topping Biden in head-to-head polls taken over the past several weeks, including in battleground states. 

President Biden’s age and leadership abilities have cast serious doubts among Americans that Biden is the right man for the job. Even former Obama adviser David Axelrod has openly questioned if it would be “wise” for Biden to back out of the race now.

Trump has dominated the polls thus far, however, his numerous legal battles are cause for concern.