OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis bizarrely asked Fox News host Sean Hannity to preside over a series of one-on-one debates between himself, former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and former president Donald Trump, all of whom are running for president in the Republican primary.
“Well, Sean, I don’t think we’ve spoken since that debate, and the reaction that I’ve gotten has been incredible in terms of obviously being able to show that freedom works and the California models of failure and what that means for the country. But people appreciated the way you set it up, and they said it was the most substantive debate that they’ve seen in this entire election cycle, and so kudos to you for doing it,” DeSantis told Hannity during an interview on Fox News.
“So I’m glad we were able to get that done, and just know if you want to do other debates—Nikki Haley and me, I’m in, Donald Trump and me, I’m in—so just say the word. You’ve shown that you can do it in a way that I think really helps the voters. So I’m game. Just let me know,” DeSantis added.
“Okay, those are two. Do you have any more on your list? Maybe Joe Manchin is going on a two-month tour. Anybody else on your list that you’d like to do?” replied an amused Hannity.
So far in the 2024 primary cycle, Trump has chosen to sit out all of the debates, claiming he is too far ahead of his opponents.
After initially trailing Trump by just a few points, DeSantis is now nearly fifty points behind in the GOP primary. As DeSantis’ campaign has declined, Haley has surged to within striking distance of him in the polls, securing second place.
WATCH:
New polling shows that in the battleground states of Georgia and Michigan, Trump is ahead of President Joe Biden.
Even though the incumbent president won the state in 2020, new polls released on Monday by CNN show that Trump is ten points ahead of Biden among Michigan voters. A total of 50% of Michigan voters indicated their support for Trump, 40% for Biden, and 10% for neither candidate.
Even though Biden came close to winning Georgia in 2020, a new poll shows that Trump has taken the lead there as well. In a hypothetical general election matchup, 49% of Georgia voters would support Trump, while 44% would vote for Biden. Voters who were undecided about the candidates accounted for 7% of the total.
There will be a rematch in 2020 and 2024 between Trump and Biden, who are leading the race for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations, respectively. According to polls, a significant portion of the voting population in both Michigan (64% disapprove) and Georgia (61% disapprove) of Biden’s leadership in the country, The Hill reported.
Among the possible issues raised by the polls, 66% of Georgians and 69% of Michiganders feel that Biden lacks the requisite incisiveness and endurance to be president. As far as presidential temperaments go, 57% of Michiganders and 58% of Georgians have expressed disapproval of Trump.
The two states that are considered to be battlegrounds for the GOP presidential primary also had questions regarding the performance of other candidates, according to SSRS.
Both states would go to the former United Nations ambassador if Biden and Nikki Haley were to face off in a presidential election. Among Georgia voters, 49% indicated they would support Haley, while 43% said they would support Biden. Half of Michiganders say they would vote for Haley, while 38% say they would vote for Biden, giving Haley an even larger lead.
The current president has a slim three-point lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in Georgia in a made-up general election contest pitting him against Biden. With a 7-point lead, DeSantis is leading Biden in Michigan.
