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Popular Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday committed to supporting former President Donald Trump again if he becomes the party’s 2024 nominee, a decision that very likely raised his standing among Trump’s supporters.
In an interview, Youngkin told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that defeating President Joe Biden is his biggest priority, politically, next year, which means he will support the Republican nominee without any conditions.
Youngkin further insisted that he looks “forward to Virginians having the chance to come to the ballot and choose their candidate that they want to support” and added, “there’s a lot of good candidates in the race.” He also stressed that the “most important thing” is beating Biden, according to The Virginia Star.
“We have to make sure that Republicans put forth a great candidate and Joe Biden does not get another four years of the presidency because America can’t stand it,” he said, stopping short of making any endorsement at the present time.
“I’ve been very clear, I’m going to let Virginians choose their candidate. I will support the Republican nominee,” he said. After being pressed further by the Squawk Box hosts, Youngkin reiterated that he would “support the Republican candidate” and said defeating Biden “is a matter of the future of the country.”
“I think what we saw during President Trump’s term was that he literally governed in a way that delivered good policy outcomes,” Youngkin acknowledged. “He and I have different styles, but his policies were effective, and they worked. We had a good economy, a secure border, we understood what projecting strength around the world meant. That’s the way he governed before.”
At one point, there appeared to be an effort by some Republicans to draft Youngkin to run against Trump for next year’s nomination. But for reasons that appear obvious, such as Trump’s vast lead in all polls, the Virginia governor is staying out of the race.
Trump has overtaken Biden in several recent significant polls while building a widening lead in others.
Politico noted late last month that “Trump’s vote share in national polls is higher than at any time in the past year” because “Biden’s poll numbers keep getting worse.”
According to a survey of registered voters conducted by The New York Times and Siena College in early November, Trump led Biden in Nevada 52-41 percent after the president narrowly won the state in 2020. Meanwhile, Trump also leads Biden in Georgia 49-43 percent.
“Trump leads Biden in Arizona, too, with 49% to the president’s 44%. In Michigan, Trump holds a 5-point lead as well: 48% to Biden’s 43%,” CNN reported, citing the survey.
The former president is also leading Biden in Pennsylvania, a state he won in 2016 but lost in 2020, by a 4-point margin, 48-44 percent. Trump trails Biden in Wisconsin, however, 47-45 percent.
“Trump’s vote share in the national polling average is higher now than at any point in the past year,” Politico added.
Trump is also now leading Biden in a major national survey for the first time, another huge signal that the current commander-in-chief is in trouble politically heading into next year’s election.
NBC political correspondent Steve Kornacki reported on Sunday that Trump was leading Biden in the network’s poll by a margin of 46-44 percent, adding that while Biden has long held a “likeability” advantage over Trump, the latest survey shows the two men tied in that category as well.
“The gap is gone. Thirty-six percent positive on both and actually Biden, one point more negative than Trump. That’s been a significant advantage for Biden. Our poll says that advantage, at least for now, may be gone,” Kornacki noted.
In addition, the political correspondent said that, according to the survey, just 40 percent of respondents gave Biden positive job approval, which is also the lowest number in the span of the current president’s term.
And just 30 percent of self-identifying Independents give Biden positive job approval ratings.
