CNN’s new poll released Tuesday caught our eye, because it’s the first national poll to show some level of softening in former President Donald Trump’s numbers since he was indicted amid accusations he mishandled classified documents and obstructed the investigation into his conduct.
Trump’s lead in the GOP presidential field dropped from 27 percentage points in CNN’s May poll to 21 percentage points now (Trump leads second-place Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis 47%-26% now, with the rest of the field in the single-digits). And Trump’s favorability among Republicans is down from 77% in CNN’s May poll to 67% now.
The former president still has a big lead over the field, and that 6-point drop is within the poll’s margin of error. Plus, most polls continue to show Trump holding onto his standing in the party — the new NPR/PBS/Marist poll found Trump’s favorable rating improving between its February and June polls.
But it’s worth keeping an eye on whether, as the public becomes more familiar with the substance of the allegations against Trump, that fundamentally loosens the former president’s grip on the GOP or not.
In other campaign news…
Christie’s case: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has told potential wealthy donors that his campaign to take on Trump could cost $100 million. But one of Christie’s wealthy allies, New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, has not yet contributed to the effort, CNBC’s Brian Schwartz reports.
Trump’s trial: Trump’s trial in the classified documents is set to begin Aug. 14, but that date could ultimately be pushed back, per NBC News’ Michael Mitsanas and Daniel Barnes. Meanwhile, Ohio GOP Rep. Mike Turner, the House Intelligence Committee chairman, told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports that Trump “should stop talking” about the indictment.
Never never (back down) land: The pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down is up with a new TV ad accusing Disney of pushing “secret sexual content,” and lamenting the “extreme liberal agendas” of Target and Bud Light, framing DeSantis as the GOP’s culture war warrior.
On the road again: NBC News’ Mike Memoli reports that President Biden will kick off his “Invest in America” roadshow next week, with the president and his Cabinet members slated to hit 20 states in the next few weeks, including Iowa and New Hampshire.
Debate news: Fox News’ Brett Baier and Martha MacCallum will host the first GOP presidential primary debate in Wisconsin on Aug. 23, the network announced Tuesday.
First order of business: During his Fox News town hall Tuesday, South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott said his first executive order if he wins the presidency would be to “restart the XL Keystone pipeline,” per NBC News’ Nnamdi Egwuonwu.
Friendly advice: Politico reports that West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s Democratic colleagues are cautioning him against a third-party bid for president.
She’s running: Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester announced Wednesday that she is running for Delaware’s open Senate seat.
Not managing: Democrat Marianne Williamson has lost her second campaign manager in two months, per Politico.
