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EXCLUSIVE: Tampa, Fla.– Former President Donald Trump dominated the 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit Sunday, Fox News has learned.
TPUSA polled conference attendees—youth activists from around the country—who they would vote for in 2024 if Trump decided to launch another White House run. The straw poll was sponsored by Turning Point Action, the affiliated 501(c)(4) of TPUSA.
78.7% attendees said they would vote for Trump.
Straw Poll results for TPUSA Summitt 2022. (TPUSA)
19% said they would vote for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 1% said they’d vote for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, 0.5% said they’d vote for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; 0.3% said they would vote for Sen. Ted Cruz, 0.3% said they’d vote for former Amb. Nikki Haley; and 0.3% said they’d vote for former Vice President Mike Pence.
TRUMP DROPS MAJOR HINTS ON POSSIBLE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN, IN CULTURE WAR-TINGED TPUSA SPEECH
Former President Trump easily won the 2022 TPUSA Straw Poll for 2024 GOP presidential nomination. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Trump spoke at the conference Saturday night, hinting at a 2024 run. His speech was the keynote on the second day of the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. Trump’s speech followed one Friday night by DeSantis, who’s considered along with Trump one of the foremost potential GOP 2024 contenders.
Teasing his own possible 2024 run, Trump said Saturday that he won the 2016 election, falsely claimed he won the 2020 election, and said, “now we may just have to do it again.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican speaks to the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on July 22, 2022. (Sarah Freeman/Fox News)
“If I stayed home, if I announced that I was not going to run for office, the persecution of Donald Trump would immediately stop,” Trump also said later in the speech. “But that’s what they want me to do. And you know what? There’s no chance I do that.”
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Trump closed his speech saying that with President Biden’s presidency, his reelection slogan of “keep America great,” is now outdated. But, Trump said, “we will make America great again.”
30.3% of attendees said California Gov. Gavin Newsom would be the most difficult for a Republican to beat; 13.6% said former First Lady Michelle Obama; 10.5% said former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; 10.3% said Sen. Bernie Sanders; 7.9% said Vice President Kamala Harris; 5.9% said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Straw Poll results for TPUSA Summit 2022.
Just 4.4% of attendees said President Biden would be the most difficult for a Republican candidate to beat in 2024.
Attendees were also polled on whether they approved or disapproved of the Republican establishment in Washington D.C.— with 92.7% saying they disapprove and 7.3% saying they approve.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 09: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a bill signing ceremony. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
73.8% of conference attendees said they are not confident that the Republican Party can communicate with younger voters, while 26.2% said they are.
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Meanwhile, attendees were also polled on whether they thought “building a southern border wall” or “sending $56 billion to Ukraine” was more important.
98% of attendees said building a wall to secure the U.S. southern border is “more important.”