Repeat of 2020 in US polls will deepen political divide

The New York Times and Siena College in Loudonville, New York, have released the results of a poll they jointly conducted among Republican voters. It shows that former president Donald Trump enjoys 54 percent support, way ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' 17 percent support. Candidates such as former vice-president Mike Pence, former South Carolina governor and former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and senator Tim Scott received no more than 3 percent support.

The survey is proof Republican voters are not worried about the possibility of a lawsuit being filed against Trump over "confidential White House documents" going missing. Voters backing Trump are scattered across age, gender, region, and education level, making one wonder why no one in the Republican Party can challenge Trump.

DeSantis, who turned Florida from a swing state to a red state (red denotes the Republican Party) and who is seen as more "moral "than Trump, was initially a favorite among Republicans. However, his conservative attitude on hot topics such as women's abortion rights, how to treat businesses and other issues have caused his popularity to plummet. He even ordered a probe into Bud Light because of the brand's promotional partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a prominent transgender. DeSantis accused Bud Light of becoming a "commercial pariah", forgetting Florida's pension authority owns Bud Light's shares.

In addition, DeSantis showed little knowledge about international issues. All these have made major Republican donors to withdraw their support for DeSantis, because of which his popularity among Republican supporters has plummeted. That has left the party with no influential figure to challenge Trump.

The primary election for the 2024 US presidential campaign, just over five months away, could thus be a repeat of 2020. Given that Biden will be 81 and Trump 78 at that time, it is going to be a contest between the two oldest presidential candidates in US electoral history.

But the hostility between the two sides is even greater now. Trump has said that if he wins he will appoint a special prosecutor to handle the cases involving Biden, "the most corrupt president in American history".Such rivalry between the two most likely candidates in 2024 will no doubt further deepen the US' political divide.