Trump Jr. reportedly moved to the Sunshine State with girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle after the 2020 election.
If the ‘definitely’ and ‘probably’ categories are aggregated, Trump Jr. supposedly has a commanding lead over Scott, who was Florida governor for eight years prior to winning the Senate seat, by 56 percent to 32 percent. Twelve percent were undecided.
“If the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate (in Florida) was held today and the candidates were Rick Scott and Donald Trump Jr…” Slide from a Tony Fabrizio polling deck speaks to where the party is. Not done at direction of DJR or allies, per source familiar. pic.twitter.com/lIzhGfOXMX
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) June 6, 2022
Rick Scott is up for reelection in 2024.
These hypothetical results are to some degree not surprising: Trump Jr., 44, the executive VP of the Trump Organization and a former judge on his dad’s “Apprentice” reality show, has emerged as one of the most effective MAGA advocates on social media, on analog and digital media platforms, and in person on the campaign trail.
He intends to barnstorm the country in this election cycle, as well, in support of America First GOP candidates. It’s not evident whether Trump is interested in running for any office himself, at least in the near term. In a 2019 radio interview, he said that “I never want to rule it out…I’ve got plenty of time.”
The former first son has recently set up a pro-gun rights advocacy organization called the Second Amendment Task Force
Mediaite has a theory as to why this survey has popped up:
Fabrizio does a lot of internal polling for the former president, and so the seemingly intentional leak of this slide…can easily be viewed as a shot across the bow of the SS Rick Scott.
Why would the Trump campaign want to send such a message to an individual long considered a political ally? Lest we forget that Rick Scott put forth an 11-point plan to “rescue America” which includes, among other things, a specific call to raise taxes. Many political observers saw Scott’s plan as a clear signal for White House ambitions, which certainly conflicts with the former president’s ostensible role as party leader and a clear favorite for the Republican nomination in 2024 if he decides to run.
On “The Five,” Fox News host Dana Perino mentioned last month that none of Scott’s colleagues had at that juncture signed on to the plan.
If Scott actually harbors presidential ambitions, he and his inner circle should take into consideration that it is very challenging for any contemporary candidate to gain traction in the absence of some level of charisma.
Plus, as things stand now, the 2024 Republican nominee is almost assuredly going to be either President Trump or Ron DeSantis, Scott’s successor in the Tallahassee governor’s mansion.
