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The 2024 presidential race is, at the moment, defined by Donald Trump’s two indictments as Republican primary rivals seek new ways to convince the base that the former president cannot win a general election.
Polls show Trump remains top dog in the GOP by a wide margin, but the gravity of the federal charges are starting to sink in with most of the American public.
A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found 34% of GOP and independent voters said the former president’s legal problems makes them less likely to support him. Nearly two-thirds of independents think these charges are serious, according to an ABC News/Ipsos survey.
Trump might be the front-runner, but this has created a divide within that even stalwart conservatives, such as former House Speaker Paul Ryan, warn cannot be ignored ahead of next year’s elections.
Florida already has two candidates running for president next year—Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis—but they’ll have to make room for one more Sunshine State resident. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez entered the race days after Trump was arraigned, and adds to an already crowded field.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, of California, has been a target of conservatives and Trump allies for years after being the liberal face off the investigations into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 campaign.
House Republicans attempted to wield their majority to censure Schiff this week, but they were met with resistance from within their own ranks.
Most Americans will say they support the idea of racial equality, but diversity initiatives remain a target of Republican-led legislatures, such as Texas, which saw a new measure signed into law that prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public colleges and universities starting in 2024.
And President Joe Biden is strutting after Ticketmaster and SeatGeek announced they are scrapping hidden concert ticket fees after that Taylor Swift debacle.
Trump’s indictments turn off more GOP and independents
Trump is making the federal indictment a central focus of his campaign and casting it as “election interference” orchestrated by President Joe Biden and the Democrats. Polls so far show that the grievance campaign is working, at least with Republicans.
The USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, for instance, showed additional 11% said the latest indictment makes them more likely to vote for Trump and 51% said the charges don’t matter at all.
But the remaining one-third of Republicans and independents surveyed who said it is a turn off and other surveys show voters of all stripes are sick of the circus.
Politics: Donald Trump’s indictments are a big 2024 issue, but no one knows how it will play out
More:Trump pleads not guilty to criminal charges in classified documents case: 5 takeaways
The ABC News/Ipsos poll, for example, finds 38% of Republicans view the federal indictment charges as serious versus 21% who said the same about the hush money New York indictment two months ago.
When the New York indictment came down 54% of independents thought those charges were serious, but now 63% say the mishandling of federal documents is serious. And remember, there are at least two other legal cases pending.against Trump.
The former president might have a majority or plurality of the GOP depending on which poll you read, but the split is real and it has conservative leader’s attention.
“I want to win, and if we nominate Trump we’re going to lose,” former House Speaker Paul Ryan told CBS Mornings.
One more Floridian in 2024
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is ready to rumble.
The 45-year-old Republican, who is the only Hispanic candidate in the 2024 race so far, pitched himself to voters as a candidate focused on solutions, not divisiveness.
“In Miami, we stopped waiting for Washington to lead,” he said in his announcement video. “America’s so-called leaders confuse being loud with actually leading.”
More:Miami Mayor Francis Suarez joins 2024 race. Here’s why his GOP bid matters and how he could win
The son of Cuban immigrants, Suarez previously served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and gained national attention in recent years for his efforts to lure tech companies to Miami.
Schiff avoids censure
House Republicans have had it out for Rep. Adam Schiff and many thought they had his number with a resolution condemning the California Democrat and fining him $16 million for his role in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump and Russia’s alleged ties.
The probe ultimately did not establish the Trump campaign “conspired or coordinated” with Russia’s election interference activities, and ever since GOP lawmakers haven’t stopped calling Schiff a liar.
“(Schiff) abused his position of authority, lied to the American people, cost American tax payers millions and brought dishonor to our chamber,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., a member of the House Freedom Caucus.
But Luna’s resolution was blocked by motion to table brought by House Democrats and joined by 20 Republican lawmakers.
Texas bans DEI offices at public colleges
Texas joined a growing list of states who are resisting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts when Gov. Greg Abbott sign a bill into law banning such offices in public colleges and universities.
The Lone Star State follows Florida, which earlier this year banned funding for DEI programs, prompting the NAACP to issue a travel advisory against the state.
These moves by GOP-controlled legislatures contrast with recent polling that shows most Americans endorse the idea of racial equality, but are divided over what should be done about it.
Politics: Nearly every American endorses racial equality. It’s how to get there that divides us
More: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bans DEI offices in public colleges, universities
A new Public Agenda/USA TODAY Hidden Common Ground survey finds more than 9 out of 10 Americans say all people deserve an equal opportunity to succeed, no matter their race or ethnicity.
That includes 65% who say overcoming racism requires changes not only in individual attitudes but also in laws and institutions.
But as has often been the case in U.S. history, there are sharp disagreement over racism’s persistence and what role the government should have in addressing those issues. including 77% who say people are too quick to accuse others of racism.
Biden scores win over ‘junk fees’
President Joe Biden, fueled by angry Taylor Swift fans, has been waging a tiny crusade against concert ticket sellers and they blinked.
Ticketmaster and mobile ticket vendor SeatGeek announced they will no longer hide fees from total ticket costs after a tsunami of criticism from the White House and Congress in January over ticket sales to Swift’s tour that included exorbitant hidden fees and platform outages, preventing some fans from buying tickets.
Biden talked about this during his State of the Union address, saying “Americans are tired of being played for suckers.” He urged lawmakers to do something as his administration proposed new rules targeting so-called “junk fees.”
“This is a win for consumers, in my view, and proof that our crackdown on junk fees has real momentum,” he said.
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