OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
California Republican Kevin McCarthy, the embattled Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has made the public prediction that it will be former President Donald J. Trump who walks away with the 2024 GOP Presidential nomination.
In a sit-down interview with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo for Sunday Morning Futures McCarthy gave the host his prediction while citing the many achievements of the Trump administration.
“I think he will be the nominee,” McCarthy told Bartiromo as reported by The Washington Examiner. “And the thing is, President Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016 or 2020, and there’s a reason why. They saw the policies of what he was able to do with America, putting America first, and making our economy stronger. We didn’t have inflation. We didn’t have these battles around the world. We didn’t look weak around the world.”
The prediction from the Speaker has come at a time of very low risk and maximum political advantage for him with Trump holding an nigh unstoppable 43.9-point lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
According to the RealClearPoltics polling average Trump stands at 56.6% in the polls with DeSantis trailing far behind with a paltry 12.7%, placing pro-Trump entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy within a 5.5-point striking distance of runner-up.
The most recent polling from YouGov/Economist reported by Political Polls on X, formerly Twitter, showed Trump up three points in the polls since August 29th at 55% while DeSantis is steady at 16%, giving Trump a nearly unassailable 39-point advantage over the Florida Governor.
Kevin McCarthy stands behind President Trump 100% and says that DeSantis isn’t on Trump’s level in any shape or form💥
“President Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016 or 2020… I served with Ron DeSantis. He’s not at the same level as President Trump by any shape or… pic.twitter.com/366zn5ylmM
— TheStormHasArrived (@TheStormRedux) September 17, 2023
2024 National Republican Primary (Shift since 8/29):
Trump 55% (+3)
DeSantis 16% (=)
Haley 6% (+2)
Ramaswamy 6% (=)
Pence 4% (+1)
Scott 3% (+1)
Christie 2% (=)
Hutchinson 0% (=)
Burgum 0% (=)
Hurd 0% (=)
Elder 0% (=).@YouGovAmerica/@TheEconomist, 537 RV, 9/10-12 https://t.co/A1sX8BsxuQ
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) September 15, 2023
Speaking of Ron DeSantis, McCarthy told Bartiromo: “I served with Ron DeSantis, he’s not at the same level as President Trump by any shape or form. He would not have gotten elected without President Trump’s endorsement.”
As reported as recently as the end of August by Explain America, Trump has begun calling upon DeSantis to withdraw from the race to unify the Republican party going into the 2024 election.
“I think he has to get out for the good of the party,” Trump told reporters. “He could have waited, and he would have been odds-on favorite for ’28, but he didn’t do that. I got him elected. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t be governor; he’d be working in a law office right now or doing whatever he was going to do.”
“He was dead when I endorsed him, he came begging for an endorsement, and when I endorsed him he had a couple of like a rocket ship. One day! One day,” Trump told Real America’s Voice, adding that DeSantis had been down in the polls.
“He was losing at a level you would never even believe possible,” Trump added. “I even said, ‘I don’t think that if George Washington came back from the dead if Abraham Lincoln came back from the dead, I don’t think they could help you, Ron, you’re dead.’”
Over the weekend at the Family Research Council Summit in Washington, D.C., the Pray Vote Stand Summit straw poll revealed another poor showing for DeSantis as previously reported by Explain America.
In the straw poll results published by The Washington Examiner, Trump was the dominant force with a commanding 63.9% of attendees supporting him while DeSantis earned a meager 27.3% of the survey.
The Examiner reported that no other candidate broke the 3% mark in the straw poll: “Former Vice President Mike Pence got 2.2%, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) got 1.9%, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy got 1.7%, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley got 1.5%. The highest-finishing Democratic presidential candidate in the poll was President Joe Biden with 0.9%.”
In the straw poll for potential vice presidential picks, DeSantis still led the field with 25.1% despite his acrimonious race with Trump.
Moreover, Scott came in second with 19.2% followed by Ramaswamy with 13.7%, and Haley with 12.5% both scoring below various write-ins at 17.4%. No other candidate broke 10%.
