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Tampa, Fla. – Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are two of the top potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates, and several attendees at a Turning Point USA conference this weekend revealed which candidate they prefer.
Fox News Digital interviewed several activists at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, asking who they want to see as the next Republican presidential nominee. Trump and DeSantis were the most frequently mentioned names, with Trump having the edge among the small sample of young activists.
“Donald Trump, of course, the man himself. He created the MAGA movement and deserves to be our leader,” said Nathan Koenig of Louisiana. “He really shook the swamp, and no one else in the Republican Party can do that the way he did.”
Louisiana’s Nathan Koenig speaks with Fox News Digital at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida (Tyler Olson and Nicholas Lanum/Fox News)
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“I love DeSantis, but Trump is a little more, you know, he’s going to push it,” said Mikayla Locker of Texas. “Not that DeSantis won’t. But I think he needs to come in and fix the mess that’s been made.”
But several activists disagreed with Trump in 2024. Christian Vega of California said, “I go back and forth between Trump and DeSantis.” Ella Reed of Tennessee said she wants Sen. Tim Scott, RS.C., to run because he “brings a new voice and a new kind of vibe to the new energy we’re seeing in the conservative movement.”
Florida’s Alora Peters speaks with Fox News Digital at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit (Tyler Olson/Fox News)
Meanwhile, Alora Peters of Florida said she wants DeSantis to run for president because she likes his policies on COVID-19 and his emphasis on families. “It’s something I’m passionate about,” she said.
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But most who spoke to Fox News Digital said they want Trump.
“I think we’ve had enough time without Trump to realize that we really miss him,” said Erica Rodriguez of New Mexico. “I think it’s time we let him come back and clean up the mess we got ourselves into.”
Christian Viega, an activist from California, speaks to Fox News Digital at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida (Tyler Olson and Nicholas Lanum/Fox News)
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“I would really like to see Donald Trump, but I feel like it might be difficult because I know he’s seen as very problematic in America,” said Jade Morissette of Minnesota. “But I think he can save America and help solve a lot of the problems that are going on right now.”
Trump and DeSantis are not the only two Republicans vying for a possible run in 2024. Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan are among the other possible contenders.
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But Trump’s decision looms large over the others — and it could come soon. Asked by Fox News Digital Saturday if his father might announce he’s running for re-election before the midterm elections, Donald Trump Jr. didn’t take that off the table.
Fox Nation is a sponsor of the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit.
Tyler Olson covers politics for Fox News Digital. You can reach him at tyler.olson@fox.com and follow him on Twitter at @TylerOlson1791.
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