Former President Donald Trump is proving to be far more supportive of Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., when he announced his candidacy, than others who have joined the race.
Trump called Scott "a big step up" from "Ron DeSanctimonious" in a Truth Social post as Scott launched his campaign in a South Carolina speech Monday.
"Good luck to Sen. Tim Scott in entering the Republican presidential primary race," Trump wrote, before turning his attention to the Florida governor. "It is rapidly loading up with lots of people, and Tim is a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally unelectable.
"I got Opportunity Zones done with Tim, a big deal that has been highly successful. Good luck Tim!"
Scott, 57, the only Black Republican in the Senate, formally kicked off his 2024 presidential campaign Monday, betting his upbeat message will sell in a party in which many voters are still firmly behind Trump.
"Joe Biden and the radical left are attacking every single rung of the ladder that helped me climb," he said. "And that's why I am announcing today that I am running for president of the United States of America."
With only 1% of support among registered Republicans according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, Scott faces an uphill battle in his bid to win the Republican nomination to take on Democrat President Joe Biden next year.
Some 49% of Republicans plan to vote for Trump, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. Trump's closest rival, DeSantis, will jump into the race in the coming days, according to sources with knowledge of his plans.
"We need a president that persuades not just our friends and our base," Scott said, not mentioning the GOP primary polling leader Trump by name.
Scott is likely to be the only Republican senator to jump into the race, an oddity given that the 100-member Senate has traditionally been a staging ground for Republicans with presidential aspirations.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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