The New York Times contacted all 168 members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and found just four were willing to endorse Donald Trump as the party’s nominee in 2024.
The newspaper indicates 109 members failed to respond, 35 wanted to see a large primary field battle it out or declined to take a position, 20 definitively stated Trump should not be the nominee, and just four offered an “unabashed endorsement.”
Granted, there are likely more than a handful of those refusing to speak to the New York Times who would support Trump and just don’t care to opine about the race to hostile leftist journalists.
But just four people?
The Times also reports that “many” RNC members believe Trump has “taken on the image of a loser.”
We contacted all 168 RNC members. Just four offered an unabashed endorsement of Mr. Trump’s 2024 campaign. My latest with @reidepstein https://t.co/2lXHuHLDio
— Lisa Lerer (@llerer) January 26, 2023
RELATED: Look Out, Joe! New Harvard Poll Shows Trump Handily Beating Biden in 2024
RNC Members Backing Away From Trump
The New York Times report has to be digested with a massive grain of salt. Over 100 people, well over half the total membership, didn’t respond. A few dozen want to see how the field shapes up – a calculated and politically expedient tactic.
In short, there will be far more than just four RNC members who back Trump once the field gets whittled down and certainly should he win the nomination.
And it’s not like we haven’t seen this kind of reporting from the Times in the past.
Would love to be fly on wall: Tensions Deepen Between Donald Trump and R.N.C., via @nytimes https://t.co/H6xdtN7MDS
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) September 3, 2016
In July 2016, the New York Times announced Trump had won the nomination at the Republican National Convention but “with discord clear” and his campaign in “disarray.”
In late August 2016, the newspaper ran a screaming headline that stated: “More Than 160 Republican Leaders Don’t Support Donald Trump.”
By September of that year, they reported that “tensions deepen” between him and the RNC.
Does anybody recall what happened in November of 2016?
RNC Members Abandoning Trump As Preferred Candidate In 2024https://t.co/Jpng10pQua
— Timcast News (@TimcastNews) January 26, 2023
RELATED: New 2024 Poll: Trump Far Ahead of DeSantis, But Poll Has Good News for Both
Trump Polling Well Right Now
Now, with that said, any RNC members looking to jump ship would seemingly be abandoning the wishes of their own voters.
Trump is the overwhelming choice amongst Republican voters for the nomination, far outpacing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – a solid candidate in his own right – by roughly 20 points in multiple polls.
Trump trounces DeSantis in potential GOP primary matchup, new poll finds https://t.co/DSrZCYDHmv pic.twitter.com/IDGUFEo7SC
— The Hill (@thehill) January 18, 2023
Polling also seems to indicate that, despite the onslaught of negative media coverage portraying him as a traitor and threat to the nation – a description more applicable to the media itself – Trump’s favorability rating is actually improving.
Trump, in fact, is now viewed more favorably than President Biden, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, according to a Harvard Caps Harris survey conducted between January 18th and 19th.
What’s more, even as some RNC members push for somebody else – anybody else – because the prevailing view is that Trump is simply too unlikeable to defeat Biden in 2024, those polls have him defeating the President by a wider margin than any other GOP candidate.
?? 2024 Presidential Election Poll:
(R) Trump: 46% (+5)
(D) Biden: 41%(R) Trump: 48% (+8)
(D) Harris: 40%
.
(R) DeSantis: 42% (+3)
(D) Biden: 39%(R) DeSantis: 43% (+3)
(D) Harris: 40%Harvard/Harris | Jan 18-19 | 2,050 RVhttps://t.co/b6wspC6HMh pic.twitter.com/x5hRdiJMc9
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) January 22, 2023
It isn’t Trump who has the “image of a loser.”
It’s the 20 RNC members who divulged to the greasy New York Times that they opposed Trump as the nominee outright.
The RNC has the image of a loser.
Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
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