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.
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.”
Hannity: President Trump is leading both Republican primary and general election polls. pic.twitter.com/g4KwCpG6hd
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) June 2, 2023
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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.
President Trump mocks Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie for their preposterous presidential bids:
“I call him Ada Hutchinson, I don’t call him Asa, I gave him a little name, for certain reasons. This guy, nobody knows who the hell he is.”pic.twitter.com/XbtdbFstQz
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) June 2, 2023
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.”
“But this guy, nobody knows who the hell he is,” Trump cracked. “Never, never good.”
WATCH: Trump on @AsaHutchinson’s presidential campaign: “I call him Ada Hutchinson, I don’t call him Asa — I gave him a little name — for certain reasons. This guy, nobody knows who the hell he is.”pic.twitter.com/GOUJYRq1bb
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 2, 2023
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Won’t Call DeSantis by Name
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.”
NEW: Donald Trump mocks Ron DeSantis for snapping at the “fake news”
“I really go after the one who’s second […] I don’t think he’s gonna be second much longer.” pic.twitter.com/9SzmicODrm
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) June 2, 2023
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%.
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.
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