Young conservatives appear to be rallying around Vice President JD Vance but are much less impressed with Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to a straw poll of individuals who attended Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest.
Nearly 85% of respondents said they would support Vice President JD Vance as the 2028 Republican primary nominee. Bondi, meanwhile, was far and away the least popular of President Donald Trump’s cabinet secretaries among AmericaFest attendees, though more than 60% still approved of her leadership.
Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk said Friday the conservative youth outreach organization would put its organizing infrastructure behind the vice president if he chooses to mount a presidential bid. Her slain husband, Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk was also enthusiastic about seeing Vance succeed Trump before his assassination in September.
“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” Mrs. Kirk told thousands of attendees during the first day of the weekend-long event.
Turning Point Action is planning to post representatives in all of Iowa’s 99 counties to support Vance ahead of the 2028 primary, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Vance holds a 37.8-point lead in the 2028 Republican primary, according to RealClearPolitics’ polling aggregate.
Other Republican contenders floated to run in 2028 are registering support in the single digits.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio received the support of nearly 5% of the straw poll respondents, followed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at roughly 3%, in the hypothetical 2028 primary ballot. Donald Trump Jr. clocked in at 1.8% support.
Rubio told author Chris Whipple in an interview published Tuesday that he would support Vance’s presidential bid if he makes a run to succeed Trump.
AmericaFest attendees had mixed views of Trump’s cabinet secretaries roughly one year into the president’s second term.
Bondi, who has been plagued by her Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files, is the only Trump cabinet official to register disapproval in the double digits.
Nearly 30% of respondents said they disapproved of Bondi’s job performance — more than six times the percentage of any other cabinet secretary — with roughly 13% of that cohort voicing strong disapproval. The attorney general has been plagued by the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files, though Trump has continued to stand by her amid criticism.
After Bondi, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had the second-highest combined disapproval rating of the president’s cabinet secretaries with 4.5% attendees saying they somewhat or strongly disapproved of him, followed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with 4.2% combined disapproval. Lutnick is known for his strong support of Trump’s tariffs.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles conceded that Bondi “completely whiffed” on the Epstein files in an explosive interview with Vanity Fair.
“First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn’t on her desk,” Wiles said in response to Bondi giving MAGA influencers binders designated as “Phase One” of the Epstein files in February. The folders mostly contained previously released material and several recipients accused Bondi of misrepresenting the documents.
“I think she completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this,” Wiles added.
Trump notably came to Bondi’s defense in July when she faced a torrent of criticism — including from some corners of the right — over the DOJ’s handling of documents related to the late convicted sex predator.
Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a vocal Trump critic, and Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna said Sunday they would consider holding Bondi in contempt of Congress for failing to release all eligible files by Friday’s deadline.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by Trump in November, gave the Justice Department 30 days to release the files. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the agency would continue releasing new materials over the coming weeks.
Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth received the highest marks among Turning Point attendees with nearly 95% of respondents approving of his job performance. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had the lowest combined disapproval at only 1.7%.
More than 90% of respondents also have favorable views of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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