Donald Trump taunted his GOP rivals for being so far behind in the polls and openly wondered why they would bother to get in the race against him in 2024.

His comments came during a town hall hosted by Fox News personality Sean Hannity on Thursday night in Iowa.

Experience The Political Insider without ads

Hide ads now

Hannity prodded the former President to remark on the state of the Republican field of candidates, which is expected to expand in the coming days with announcements from former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump correctly pointed out that an expanded field is good for the party. In reality, it’s good for him as well. A watered-down field and split support did wonders for him in 2016.

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Trump said of the large field. “I don’t think it matters. I don’t know why people are doing it.”

Experience The Political Insider without ads

Hide ads now

RELATED: Trump Snags Big Endorsements from Republican Senators as 2024 Primary Heats Up

Trump Mocks His 2024 Rivals

Former President Donald Trump delivered in his classic style when asked to comment on his 2024 rivals for the GOP nomination, noting that some of their poll numbers are “at 1%” and “some are at zero.”

He then focused on former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a man who he’s referred to in the past as “sloppy.”

“I hear Chris Christie’s coming in. He was … at 6% in New Jersey, which is, I love New Jersey. But 6% approval rating in New Jersey. What’s the purpose?” he asked.

Indeed, the only thing Christie should be running for is the next two-for-Tuesday at the local Krispy Kreme.

Trump then shifted his focus to former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, referring to him as “Ada” on purpose.

“And others are–I call him Ada Hutchinson,” he said. “I don’t call him Asa. I call him Ada Hutchinson. I gave him a little name for some reason, for certain reasons.”

Experience The Political Insider without ads

Hide ads now

“But this guy, nobody knows who the hell he is,” Trump cracked. “Never, never good.”

RELATED: Turn Them Over, They’re Done: Fox News Suffers Ratings Collapse in First Month Without Tucker

Won’t Call DeSantis by Name

Experience The Political Insider without ads

Hide ads now

Trump also commented on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis jumping into the 2024 race but curiously refused to call him by name. Instead, he called DeSantis “the one who’s second.”

Which, no matter who you’re supporting – that’s funny right there.

“I really go after the one who’s second, and I think the one who’s second has gone down so much and so rapidly that I don’t think he’s going to be second that much longer,” he prodded. “I think he’s going to be third (or) fourth.”

Experience The Political Insider without ads

Hide ads now

In reality, polling has shown Trump and DeSantis running one and two pretty much since numbers have been recorded for the 2024 Republican primary.

And by one and two, we mean Trump has consistently been demolishing DeSantis in those polls, though to be sure, it’s very early. The latest Morning Consult poll has Trump at 56% and DeSantis at 22%.

Experience The Political Insider without ads

Hide ads now

Experience The Political Insider without ads

Hide ads now

They are followed by Pence (5%), former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley (4%), and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (4%).

The aforementioned Hutchinson comes in at 1% while Christie does not register at all.

It’ll be interesting to see if “the one who’s second” can make a dent in those numbers now that he’s officially launched his campaign, or once the debates actually start and the American people can see each candidate in action.

Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #3 on Feedspot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”

Read this Next on ThePoliticalInsider.com