Former President Donald Trump has strengthened his position as the GOP’s leader and is now in his best position yet to win the Republican presidential nomination and beat President Joe Biden in a grudge election next year.
New polling data shared with Secrets on Tuesday morning indicate that Trump has a 41-percentage-point lead over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who is expected to join the GOP race this month.
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And Trump leads Biden 47%-43% in the monthly McLaughlin & Associates national survey.
“President Trump has his best poll results year to date in our poll,” John McLaughlin said.
The pollster said that Trump’s lead over DeSantis in a head-to-head vote has grown from 11 points, 51%-41% in January, to his current 67%-26% lead.
And when 15 other GOP challengers were added to the list Republican voters were asked to choose a nominee from, it was Trump out front with his first majority total, 52%, while DeSantis had 16%, former Vice President Mike Pence had 6%, and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley had 4%.
The only other Republican to show growth was Vivek Ramaswamy, who went from zero support last month to 4% in April.
McLaughlin told Secrets that the legal cases facing Trump haven’t hurt him. “Without a doubt, the Biden-Bragg indictment and other persecutions of President Trump have backfired,” he said of the hush-money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and cheered by the White House.
He also said that Trump’s support is strongest among those concerned that Biden has the nation on the wrong track.
“So much for the 2024 reelection announcement bounce for Biden. President Trump’s strength comes from the voters who know the country is on the wrong track and is getting worse. They can’t replace Joe Biden soon enough with President Trump,” he said.
McLaughlin also said that Trump is doing better in states key to an electoral victory.
“In 2016 and 2020, Trump never led in the national popular vote,” he said. But, he added, “if the election were held today, Trump would beat Biden in the national popular vote, and it would be an electoral landslide for Trump.”
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The survey, which was taken as Biden released his reelection campaign video, showed no new strength for the president. His 25% support from Democratic voters in a crowded primary race is exactly where it was in January.
Trump, meanwhile, has seen a gain. In January, 58% of Republican voters wanted to see him run again. In April, it had increased to 65%.
