Former President Donald Trump is predicting that there is no Republican presidential candidate who could defeat him in the 2024 primary if he decides to run again.
In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Trump was asked about a hypothetical match-up against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the primary.
The former president signaled that he would not be concerned about a DeSantis challenge, saying, “If I faced him, I’d beat him like I would beat everyone else.”
However, he added, “I don’t think I will face him.”
The former president also predicted that “most people would drop out,” including DeSantis, if he decided to run again.
A recent poll from Former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s Super PAC found that 26.2% of Republicans said they would vote for Trump in the primary while 25.2% picked DeSantis.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) came in third place at 7.2%, and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley came in fourth place with 6%.
Former Vice President Mike Pence came in seventh place with just 2.6% saying they would vote for him.
Additionally, in June, DeSantis narrowly edged out Trump in the Western Conservative Summit’s straw poll for the 2024 presidential primary.
Trump has not said whether he plans to run in 2024, but several of his allies believe he will. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told a group of Republicans in Iowa, “I think he’s gonna run.”
“I want him to run. He’s proven he can take the heat. We’re at a moment now where you’ve got to have someone who’s willing to fight, willing to stand up to all the abuses,” he added.
Former Trump White House press secretary Sean Spicer told The Washington Examiner that he believes the former president will run again in 2024.
Meanwhile, former Trump adviser Jason Miller was asked during an interview on Cheddar, “What is the likelihood President Trump runs again in 2024?”
“I would say somewhere between 99 and 100 percent. I think he is definitely running in 2024,” Miller responded. “I had a good conversation with him last night. I’m going to go see him in another couple days here.”
Former Trump White House press secretary Sean Spicer also told The Washington Examiner that he believes the former president will run again in 2024.
For his part, DeSantis has said that speculation about him running for president in 2024 is “purely manufactured.”