A majority of Republican voters have expressed the belief that former President Donald Trump should run for president again in 2024, a recent Politico/Morning Consult survey revealed.
Wednesday morning’s Politico Playbook detailed the position Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) finds himself in during the early Trump post-presidency days. While he and other Republican leaders are resuming with business as usual, they find themselves in a particularly unique position, as a sizeable portion of the Republican Party continues to support Trump and his MAGA agenda. Some Republican lawmakers moved to distance themselves from Trump following the January 6 Capitol riots, which resulted in Democrats in the House, as well as ten Republicans, impeaching Trump for the incitement of insurrection.
McConnell has found himself in the midst of the controversy, failing to specify if he will vote to convict the former president, while expressing the belief that Trump and others “provoked” the mob. However, he was among 45 GOP senators who raised constitutional concerns over the pending Senate impeachment trial on Tuesday:
The Politico Playbook cited its most recent poll, which it says “underscores what McConnell faced.”
According to the survey, 56 percent of Republican voters believe that Trump should “probably” or “definitely” run for president again in 2024 — a sign that GOP voters are not yet done with the former president as Washington Republicans try to move past the election. Thirty-six percent said otherwise.
According to the Playbook:
Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters are closely split between the Republican Party and the notional Patriot Party that Trump recently floated. A third (33%) said they are more interested in being a member of the Republican Party, and 30% said they would be more interested in being a member of the Patriot Party. A small share (11%) expressed interest in neither party.
Jason Miller, 2020 senior adviser to the Trump campaign, dismissed rumors that Trump has active plans to launch a party outside of the GOP, stating that Trump “has made clear his goal is to win back the House and Senate for Republicans in 2022.”
“There’s nothing that’s actively being planned regarding an effort outside of that,” he added.
Trump recently opened the “Office of the Former President” in Palm Beach County, Florida, his state of residency, since departing the Oval Office.
“The office will be responsible for managing President Trump’s correspondence, public statements, appearances and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump administration through advocacy, organizing and public activism,” the office stated, adding that Trump “will always and forever be a champion for the American people.”
Trump has not specifically outlined his future plans, although he teased a 2024 run during a White House Christmas party last month.
“It’s been an amazing four years. We’re trying to do another four years, otherwise, I’ll see you in four years,” he said at the time.