Throughout and after his presidency, former President Donald Trump enjoyed widespread support from Republican voters. In many cases, thanks to Trump's frequent rage against "RINOs" (Republicans In Name Only), his supporters trusted Trump more than they trusted the Republican party itself.
But a new NBC poll indicates that this support is slipping, finding that—for the first time since 2019—Republicans who trust the GOP more than they trust Trump outnumbered the Republicans who trust Trump more than the GOP.
The poll found that, while 44 percent of Republicans trust Trump more than the party, 50 percent trust the party more than Trump.
Favorable opinions of Trump have also slipped among all voters, of whom the poll found 32 percent favoring Trump—a steep drop from the 43 percent around the time of the 2020 election. This 32 percent figure is also significantly lower than the lowest average approval rating during Trump's time in the White House, which never dipped below 39 percent.
The data comes as Republican lawmakers are divided on how to proceed after the loss of the Senate and the White House in the most recent election cycle. Some, like Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, have denounced Trump only to face intense backlash from their constituents.
Others, like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), have said they'd support another Trump run in 2024, even after his lies about the 2020 election spurred a deadly failed siege of the United States Capitol.
Some are hopeful that this latest data indicates Republicans may be finally moving on.
Others—especially Republicans—are more skeptical.
As of now, it's undetermined if Trump will run again in 2024 or how coveted his endorsement will be in the Republican primaries if he doesn't run.
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