Shocking poll: Donald Trump drops to 2nd after debate

Former President Donald Trump’s decision to skip the first Republican presidential primary debate last week may have been a mistake.

Trump’s poll numbers have declined sharply and his massive lead has shrunk according to Emerson College’s first post-debate poll — and a second stunning poll even shows him falling behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a key metric.

Emerson College found Trump’s support at 50 percent among Republican primary voters, a 12 percent decrease from his high in April and his lowest level yet.

But don’t count the former president out yet.

Experts warn that this may just be a polling “blip” and doesn’t signal the mass decline of Trump’s support that the media has been hoping for since 2015.

“While Trump saw a slight dip in support, the question from this poll is whether this is a blip for Trump or if the other Republican candidates will be able to rally enough support to be competitive for the caucus and primary season,” Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling, said when releasing their poll.

He still commands a massive 38-point advantage over DeSantis, his nearest competitor at 12 percent. The poll showed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy commands 9 points, followed by former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence at 7 percent each.

But a second post-debate poll by Washington Post/Ipsos/FiveThirtyEight claimed that Republican voters that watched the debate are considering voting DeSantis over Trump — the first ever poll to make such a claim during the 2024 primaries.

DeSantis gained considerable support while Trump shed a bit.

Take a look at the data FiveThirtyEight posted on their website —

Not included in the polling are Republicans that didn’t watch the debate at all, or instead tuned into conservative activist Tucker Carlson’s interview of Trump that ran at the same time.

And there remains no doubt that Trump commands a huge and, perhaps, insurmountable lead in the Republican presidential primary. Respondents were allowed to pick multiple candidates they were considering backing.

But if one can believe the pollsters, it may prove to be a mistake for Trump to skip further debates.

But don’t take our word for it.

We want to hear your opinion.

Vote in our poll below and tell other readers who you support in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

The Horn editorial team