During a Michigan rally on Wednesday, ex-President Donald Trump took a jab at his Republican nomination rivals, suggesting he wouldn’t hire them if he were to form an administration for 2024.
On the same day, Trump spent time campaigning with striking autoworkers in the region. Commenting on his Republican contenders, Trump remarked, “We’re in a race with these job applicants. They’re all vying for positions. Some might even hope for a VP spot or some secretary role.”
He went on to question, “Do we see a potential VP among them? I doubt it.”
That evening, seven Republican hopefuls took the stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. The lineup included North Dakota’s Gov. Doug Burgum, ex-Governor Chris Christie from New Jersey, Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis, ex-Governor Nikki Haley from South Carolina, previous Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur and political analyst Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott, also from South Carolina.
A recent survey from Fox News indicated that Trump enjoys the support of 60% of Republican primary voters, a rise from 53% in a previous August poll. Among the contenders, only DeSantis, with 13%, and Ramaswamy, with 11%, achieved double-digit backing. Haley polled at 5%, Pence and Scott each garnered 3%, Christie received 2%, and other GOP contestants came in under 1%.
A recent Washington Post/ABC poll suggests that Trump currently has a 10-point lead over President Biden in a hypothetical matchup. The survey stated that if elections were held today, Trump would best Biden with a 52% to 42% margin. Additionally, the poll recorded a 37% approval rating for Biden, with 56% of participants expressing disapproval.
