Fresh off two primary victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, former President Donald Trump launched an all-out offensive against Nikki Haley last week as his only remaining rival for the 2024 Republican nomination vowed to stay in the race and as polls showed Trump was losing key support among Republicans.
In his Tuesday night victory speech to supporters in New Hampshire, Trump castigated Haley, threatening to block donations to her campaign, put her “under investigation,” and permanently bar GOP members who were believed to be jumping ship to support the former South Carolina governor.
Trump had great reason to be concerned about Haley as a substantial share of Iowa and New Hampshire voters indicated they did not plan to support Trump in the general election, including 43 percent of Haley’s supporters who said they would stick with President Joe Biden over Trump, according to Politico, which cited an NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll.
Trump also saw a significant shift in his support, suggesting that voters were not evaluating Trump based solely on his current campaign but on his previous term in the White House, making it challenging for him to reconnect with those he alienated during his tumultuous presidency.
Despite two early victories under his belt, Trump faced an uphill climb in the general election as he has lost a big share of his MAGA base nearly eight years after his landslide election victory in 2016, recent polls show.
The recent polling showed trouble on the horizon for Trump as Democrats were positioned to take advantage of Trump’s weakening stance with moderate and independent voters, especially as the Biden administration was seeking to drill down on key issues such as abortion, gender rights, climate change, gun violence and affordable health care.
Trump’s declining popularity with moderate and independent voters is likely to become more of a concern for Republicans the longer he remains the GOP…
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