Former President Donald Trump began distancing himself from his 2024 rival after he visited East Palestine, Ohio, in late February following a train carrying toxic materials that derailed nearby, an adviser told The Post.
The 77-year-old’s criminal indictment – the first of which was handed down in late March – is commonly cited as a catalyst for his poll lead in the race for the Republican nomination.
However, according to the adviser, “the first pop we saw [terms of] the parting stage was after the president’s visit to East Palestine, Ohio.
“That’s when we saw the first real move — right after that,” the person reiterated during a background briefing earlier this month at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
At the time of the Feb. 22 visit, Trump had held few events since launching his 2024 White House bid the previous November, though he still enjoyed a national poll lead of about 15% over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to data complied by RealClearPolitics.
Donald Trump speaks at the fire department in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 22, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
During his visit, Trump distributed 13 pallets of eponymous branded bottled water to residents who fear the local supply has been contaminated by toxic chemicals. He also accused the Biden administration of not responding adequately to the disaster.
Republicans and locals blasted President Biden for not going to the city to see for himself. The White House argued at the time that other federal agencies had taken care of the issue and that they were “all hands on deck” because of Biden’s coordination.
Nearly a year after the derailment, Biden has yet to travel to the city — despite promising on March 2 to visit East Palestine “at some point.”
On February 3, a Norfolk Southern Railways train carrying toxic chemicals derailed, causing an environmental disaster. Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate after the area was placed under a state of emergency. Getty Images
RealClearPolitics polling data showed Trump up two percentage points in the week after his trip, though most of his polling lead coincided with his ongoing legal battle.
The 45th president saw a big jump in his polling average after his first indictment on March 30 by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who accused him of 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Trump also faces three other charges related to storing national security documents at his home in Florida, trying to overturn the 2020 election and trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
RealClearPolitics average national polling data showed Trump largely up after his first March 30 claim. RealClearPolitics
Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC backing Trump’s re-election bid, also claimed that his poll numbers’ rise and DeSantis’ decline could be linked to their attacks on the Florida governor.
Trump supporters have spent $23 million on negative ads against DeSantis so far in the campaign.
DeSantis hopes to overtake Trump in Iowa, the first state to hold a caucus on Jan. 15 and where his campaign has focused most of its resources.
Trump polled at 51.3% in Iowa, compared to DeSantis’ 18.6%. Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley is trailing the Florida governor with 16.1%, according to the RCP average.
The Trump campaign is bidding to blow up the Hawkeye State and has deployed an army of surrogates to get new caucus participants to join the former president and end the race before most voting can begin.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
