McLaughlin to Newsmax: They're Trying to Put a 'Gag Order' on Trump

John McLaughlin, pollster for GOP presidential primary candidate Donald Trump, tells Newsmax that President Joe Biden knows the only way he can get reelected in 2024 is for his Justice Department and him to "put a gag order" on the former president and ultimately place him behind bars.

McLaughlin's told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" on Thursday that Trump, who's heading to the Iowa State Fair this weekend as the Republican primary front-runner by a wide margin, is running "neck-and-neck" with the man who defeated him in the 2020 election.

"[Trump's] the front-runner in Iowa," McLaughlin said. "Our last poll for Trump in Iowa, he had 51%, Ron DeSantis was trailing at 19[%], and we had actually Tim Scott coming up at 9% in these other polls that you showed. Our polls are a little different. ... We actually have the past caucus-goers list because we're working for a candidate in that, combined with other Republicans, likely Republican primary voters, and others. So, and one-on-one against Ron DeSantis, Trump is winning 60[%]-33[%].

"Trump is going to continue to increase his enthusiasm among the voters and supporters he has nationwide," he continued. "He's leading the pack ... where he's at 52%, and that's our late July poll. He's beating Ron DeSantis 70[%]-30[%], one-on-one.

"He's got a message. He's the one who can beat Joe Biden because he's leading Joe Biden in the polls, which is why Joe Biden's indicting him."

According to McLaughlin, Biden is looking at the former president "and saying, 'The only way I'm going to win reelection is if I can put Donald Trump in jail.' ... It's absolutely unbelievable what's going on in our democracy right now."

The CEO and partner at McLaughlin & Associates told guest host David Harris Jr., "We've got to stand up there for Trump, and we've got to get all these other Republicans to realize they're doing Biden's dirty work. When they're attacking Donald Trump instead of going after Joe Biden, the country's on the wrong track, the economy's in the wrong direction. People in Iowa that are going to the State Fair, they know it."

McLaughlin also reacted to the news that prosecutors for special counsel Jack Smith's latest indictment of Trump earlier Thursday pushed for a trial date of Jan. 2, 2024 — only two weeks before the Iowa GOP presidential caucuses.

"They're trying to put a gag order on the presidential candidate," he said, agreeing with Trump's claim that the prosecution's move reeks of "maximum election interference."

"I mean, this is Joe Biden's leading political opponent. That they're trying to have a gag, they're trying to put him on a show trial ... it's unbelievable.

"When we asked voters just last month if this is political, they said, 49[%]-40[%], all voters said it's political," McLaughlin added. "Over 70% of the Republicans said it's political, and you know what the voters said? They said, 54[%]-38[%], all American voters said, 'We want to vote on this. We don't want it decided by the court.' And Republicans agreed with that, 82[%]-12[%]."

The pollster said he also understood why Trump said during his interview with Eric Bolling Wednesday night that he is refusing to sign the RNC loyalty pledge, which is required of GOP presidential candidates if they wish to participate in the debates. Trump said he isn't ruling out attending the Aug. 23 debate in Milwaukee, but he didn't want to sign the pledge because, as he put it, "Why would I sign a pledge? There are people on there that I wouldn't have."

The former president declined to identify the primary candidates he would not support.

"[Trump is] looking at his opponents," McLaughlin said, "and here he is, being again indicted by Joe Biden's Justice Department. Iowa caucusgoers think that Joe Biden ordered this, 62[%] to 25[%]. Tell me which Republicans are standing up for President Trump and saying, 'Joe Biden's wrong. He's a corrupt crook.' How can President Trump support people who are there, basically doing Joe Biden's dirty work?"

McLaughlin said he'll leave it to the former president to "name the names," then added, "Donald Trump is standing up for the average person in America and wants to beat Joe Biden. And nationally in the popular polls, like on RealClearPolitics ... it's neck and neck. We're winning. We're beating Joe Biden, and here these other Republicans are, and they're not even standing up for us right now."

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