The more the 2024 Republican presidential primary field increases, the more former President Donald Trump appears to benefit.
That's the thinking among Trump supporters, even as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis prepares to enter the race Wednesday night in a Twitter Space hosted by Elon Musk.
"The die-hard MAGA [Make America Great Again] supporters won't vote for anyone but Trump. Everyone else who gets in dilutes support for DeSantis," a MAGA official, who claimed Trump holds an iron grip over roughly 40% of GOP voters, previously told the Washington Examiner.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., officially declared his candidacy on Monday to bring the total number of announced Republican hopefuls to 10.
Poll results have showed DeSantis to be Trump's top opponent for the party's nomination, though the former president maintains a commanding lead over the Florida governor in nearly every survey.
DeSantis, 44, and several other GOP contenders have tried to position themselves as intellectual heirs to the MAGA movement minus the 76-year-old Trump's personal baggage, the Examiner reported.
Trump supporters, however, remain confident that the former president has little to worry about.
"DeSantis is trying to position himself as more MAGA than President Trump, but as soon as he steps onstage, it's going to be clear he's really just a conservative Pete Buttigieg," a former Trump administration veteran, citing the current Transportation Secretary, told the Examiner.
"He's basically a dumb person's idea of what MAGA really is without any of Trump's charisma or willingness to fight for the people abandoned by the swamp."
Another former Trump administration official told the Examiner that Democrats are "so hellbent on trying to stop President Trump from winning the nomination" because President Joe Biden's record "speaks for itself."
"The American people can see through the lies, whether they're coming from the Biden or DeSantis team, and that's going to come through when it's time to vote," the official told the Examiner.
Although the crowded Republican field reminds people of 2016, when Trump defeated 14 established politicians, a world-renowned neurosurgeon, and the first woman to serve as CEO of a Fortune top 20 company, the former president this time remains the de facto leader of the GOP.
Trump, who will be 78 in November of 2024, also is dealing with legal problems that include probes into his handling of classified information after leaving office, his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, and civil sexual assault allegations.
Still, a Morning Consult poll shows that nearly 60% of potential Republican primary voters say they would vote for Trump if the primary were held today.
With 20% of voters, DeSantis' 38-point deficit marks a slight improvement compared to mid-May. Former Vice President Mike Pence (6%) leads all other potential candidates.
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