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Analysis by Summer Lane | Photo: Alamy
Now that President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will not be attending any of the Republican presidential primary debates, it seems abundantly clear that the president and his campaign have shifted their focus from the primary election and onto the looming general election next November.
Amid Trump’s dominating poll numbers nationwide, it appears that the rest of the Republican presidential primary field will simply be competing for the position of runner-up next year, perhaps vying for the vice presidency or a cabinet position in a hypothetical 2025 Trump administration.
For example, a new poll from CBS found that President Trump had garnered a massive 62 percent of support nationwide from likely GOP primary voters, succinctly cratering presidential hopeful and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s shot at winning the nomination next year.
Trump commented on the poll on Truth Social, noting, “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
With the first Republican primary debate scheduled to take place on Wednesday, August 23, the president’s confirmation that he will not be taking the stage alongside other Republican candidates – most of whom have never earned more than single-digit support from the GOP electorate – signals a pivot away from primary campaigning to general election campaigning.
The president seems supremely confident that he has locked down the 2024 presidential nomination, and nationwide polling certainly appears to reflect that. Trump is wisely turning his focus toward Joe Biden and the Democrat machine.
Last week, Trump urged Republicans everywhere to unite around his bid for the presidency, calling on low-polling GOP candidates to drop out of the primary race and instead focus on beating Biden at the ballot box.
He stated in a video, “Perhaps the party should come together. People should drop out of the race – we unify and BEAT BIDEN and the DEMOCRATS. They should be EASY to beat, because our country has never been in worse condition than it is right now.”
Even Trump’s latest campaign ad focused wholly on Biden rather than Republican primary candidates, hammering his Democrat opponent on the last two years of failed economic policies. “Only TRUMP’S ready to get our economy – our COUNTRY – back on track,” the ad declared.
With the primary debates off the table, President Trump is poised to continue his battle to reclaim the White House in 2024 by staying laser-focused on his goal of winning the general election.
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