Super Tuesday: Trump vows to unify country with "success." Will centrists be convinced?
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Donald Trump celebrated a near perfect sweep of Super Tuesday primary elections with a toned-down speech that vowed "success will bring unity to our country."
The roughly 20-minute populist address, an hour shorter than Trump's typical rally speeches, bemoaned what he said was the descent of America into "third world" status and called President Joe Biden the "worst" president in U.S. history. But unlike his stump speeches, Trump did not vow "retribution," or repeat the baseless allegations of massive 2020 election fraud, call Jan. 6 defendants "hostages," denigrate prosecutors handling his felony cases or demean his GOP rival, Nikki Haley, with a derogatory nickname.
Instead, he extolled the trade treaties, tax cuts and foreign policy achievements, such as the Middle East Abraham Accords, of his single-term presidency. If given "four more years," as some in the crowd packed into the Mar-a-Lago ballroom chanted, Trump promised to deliver U.S. energy independence, slash inflation and restore U.S. prestige abroad.
"You'd only have success and that's what's going to ultimately unify this country, and unify this party," he said. "We have a great Republican Party with tremendous talent and we want to have unity. And we're going to have unity, and it's going to happen very quickly."
Trump's sharpest rhetoric, like in his campaign speeches, was for the Biden administration's handling of the border.
"This is an invasion," Trump said. "We've never had anything like it."
U.S. authorities say 7.2 million have entered the country via the border with Mexico, but Trump, based on his own conjecture, speculated the number could be as high as 15 million people.
Trump said the immigrants are "coming from rough places and dangerous places" but did not repeat his bombastic claims that the migrants are coming straight from insane asylums and prisons, nor did he liken them to the serial murderer Hannibal Lecter of the "Silence of the Lambs" movie.
He promised, in a second term, another round of tax cuts, to deport criminals who entered the country illegally and to "drill, baby, drill."
"We are going to make our country greater than ever before and we're going to do it quickly," he said.
VOTER GUIDE: Know the candidates and issues
Nikki Haley expected to drop out of race Wednesday morning
After a disappointing finish behind frontrunner Donald Trump in the Super Tuesday primaries, Nikki Haley is set to deliver remarks as she drops out of the presidential race Wednesday morning.
Haley is expected to make a statement at 10 a.m. from Charleston, South Carolina.
Haley, the first Indian-American and female governor of South Carolina and former United Nations ambassador, was the last remaining Republican challenger to Trump.
Byron Donalds: Trump message is 'pitch perfect'
Florida Congressman Byron Donalds, who has been a rising star in conservative circles, said Trump's message has been "pitch perfect."
"I think the president's message has been pitch-perfect. It has been that way for quite some time," said the Naples Republican. "He's focused on the things that are ailing this country. And so whether you're a Republican voter, independent voter, Democrat voter, securing our border is a number one issue in our country."
He added: "So I think it's important to tell the American people what you're going to do, not to try to placate people, don't try to obfuscate. Tell people what you're going to do and do it. And I think if you compare his record to that of Joe Biden, the American people are going to be, I think, very clear in their choices November."
— Stephany Matat
Marjorie Taylor Greene: Trump appeals to "all" Americans
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night where she said Trump has far greater appeal than pundits believe.
"He doesn't stick to the MAGA crowd, actually that's why he's winning so big and poll after poll he's beating Joe Biden, because his policy appeals to all Americans," said Taylor Greene.
She added: "We're seeing Democrat voters switch over to Republicans. We're seeing Black voters switch over to supporting President Trump. Hispanics are switching over to support, and it's because his policies are for our country for every American, not for identity, but for every single American so we're excited to see it happen."
— Stephany Matat
'Chopper' says Trump has already 'changed his tone a little bit'
Doug Altman, known as "Chopper," is part of the Born to Ride 45 motorcycle group.
He hailed Trump's win in Alabama and said he hopes 45 will garner "delegates" at the next primary to clinch the nomination.
"I think he's gonna get it [delegates]," Altman said. "He's winning more and more states."
Altman said he believes Trump "already changed his tone a little bit" as the focus turns to the general election against Biden.
"I don't think he's attacking people like he used to, and I think he's gonna be more moderate in the campaign once he gets the nomination," Altman said. "I think he speaks for all Americans, he's done that for years. He's picking up more and more people as we go along."
— Stephany Matat
Polish-Americans for Trump in the house, too
There's a lot of talk in 2024 about how hyphenated Americans will vote, and the Polish-Americans for Donald Trump are represented at the Mar-a-Lago election watch party, too.
"I expect that this will be a landslide vote, because he is going to get so much support from across the country in the states that vote," said Michael Pawlowski, of the nationwide coalition, said as results rolled in.
Whether Trump pivots more to the center, Pawlowski said, "depends upon what state he conducts rallies in." But the bigger issue, he said, is "at this point, people have to stand back and look. We've got to address the whole country's needs, but what are the things I can zero in on in individual communities that I visited?"
Ko Robins, also with the Polish-Americans for Donald Trump, was joyous as Oklahoma, Alabama and Massachusetts were called for Trump.
"We're very excited. I mean, I feel like I can't imagine him not winning every one of them," she said.
Robins said she thinks Trump will stick to his core beliefs and core MAGA crowd.
"I don't think he's changed his message over the years," Robins said. "You know, that he wants the best for the American people, for the country."
— Stephany Matat
5 questions to, and answers from, a top Trump campaign official
Top Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita spoke to a handful of reporters covering the election night party in Mar-a-Lago.
On how many delegates the Trump campaign expects to get? "If we perform … and [Nikki Haley] performs at the same level that the final outcome in New Hampshire was, which is very generous, because we're very generous people, very generous to Nikki, we get 755 … even a worst case is no path for Nikki Haley."
What do you expect the focus to be going past Super Tuesday? What is the contrast with Biden? "I think's it's going to be a continuation of what we've actually been talking about for the last several months. It's the failure of Bidenomics, it's the border invasion, it's the loss of the stature of the United States on the world scale. Insert issue and you know we have a mile to walk on."
On whether Democrats have an advantage because the Biden campaign is more coordinated with the Democratic National Committee? "What they have an advantage in a couple weeks on the calendar we take away basically as soon as we start talking message, as soon as we start talking about those issues that they don't want to deal with."
What is your priority in the Republican National Committee? "Basically it's going to be election integrity, first and foremost, it's about putting together real ground game operations that are built around the early states, ensuring that fundraising is actually where it has to be and to [former RNC chairman] Ronna [McDaniel]'s credit, her last six weeks at the RNC she raised $11.5 million bucks so she's leaving us with a really good head start."
Delegate math when does Trump clinch? "12th, maybe 19th… at the latest" of March. "That's the key thing, clinching the nomination before he clinched it as the incumbent president" in 2020.
— Zac Anderson
Rapper who recorded 'Mayor of Magaville' calling it for Trump
Rapper Forgiato Blow, whose works include "Mayor of Magaville" and a Target boycott video, said he expects Hispanic voters to carry Trump to victory in 2024.
"I think a lot of people are waking up," he said. "I think Trump is gonna go for the Hispanics, that's who's gonna win the vote this year. I think Trump needs to get that Hispanic vote, he's already getting it."
— Stephany Matat
President of PBC-based Trump fan club confident of Trump 'Super Tuesday' sweep, and no pivot
The mood at Mar-a-Lago is upbeat, festive and effusive as North Carolina and Virginia primaries have been called for Trump.
A local in the crowd is Larry Snowden, president of the Trump fan group Club 47. He said he is expecting a "big night" for the former president.
"I think he'll take all the states. It'll be a big night for him," Snowden said.
As for the "pivot" question, Snowden says no thanks.
"I've known the man quite a while. I've been following him since 2015. I don't want him to change his message, and I don't think he will," he said. "I'm one of these let Trump be Trump people. As long as Trump says, what he himself feels, he does better."
Then Snowden added: "I hope he stays with what he feels like saying, because that's why he's so popular with the conservative people."
— Stephany Matat
What are protest votes against Trump and Biden?
On "what to watch" on Super Tuesday ... protest votes.
Although President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have seemingly been destined for a rematch, polls show broad swaths of Americans still do not want to see another contest between them.
Some of that dissatisfaction has materialized in previous primaries.
In New Hampshire, Republican challenger Nikki Haley won 43.3% of the vote, although the Trump camp insisted that the result was distorted because New Hampshire conducts an open primary. Haley also won just shy of 40% of the vote in her home state of South Carolina. In Michigan, she won just over a quarter of the votes.
In Michigan, Democratic voters upset with Biden cast "uncommitted" votes, which totaled 13.2% of ballots cast in that party's primary. In New Hampshire, rival Democrat Dean captured 19.6% of the votes cast.
— Antonio Fins
'Super Tuesday' by the numbers, and why it's a super delegate haul
Polls are closing soon and most voters have already cast ballots. So let's talk about what's at stake for Donald Trump and Nikki Haley tonight.
To win the nomination, a Republican presidential candidate must win 1,215 delegates, which is a majority of the 2,429 delegates that will formally elect the nominee at the GOP convention in Milwaukee in July.
Right now, Trump has 243 candidates and Haley lags well behind with just 43.3% of the vote.
There are 865 delegates up for grabs in Tuesday's 13 Republican primaries and two caucuses.
If the former president were to win delegates at the ratio he has in the first handful of primaries and caucuses, then it would put him within reach of sealing the nomination, perhaps during the March 19 Florida primary.
That's why it's "Super Tuesday."
— Antonio Fins
It's 'Super Tuesday.' What's an independent to do?
Primary elections are political party nominating events. So what happens to independent voters? Jeremy Gruber, senior vice president of Open Primaries Inc. said Tuesday that many of them get left out.
Gruber said closed Super Tuesday presidential primaries in four states — Alaska, California, Oklahoma and Utah — will deny 6.2 million no-party and other voters a chance to choose a candidate for the 2024 general election.
"While the Democratic parties in these states allow independent voters to participate in their primaries in these states, independents are not permitted to vote in the Republican primaries — which feature the only competitive national contest in 2024, between Trump and Haley," Gruber wrote.
Now, 11 other states will allow independents a voice via a ballot.
Gruber points out that if, say, those voters were to break for Haley "it could have some important lessons for how they might break in November." He said independents overwhelmingly backed Trump in 2016 before returning to Biden in even larger numbers four years ago.
"They are not a fixed voting block by any means," Gruber said. "And it certainly doesn’t mean that a vote for Haley is necessarily a vote for Biden."
He said the "real question" on Super Tuesday and beyond is how both the Biden and Trump camps are going to woo independents in the next eight months.
"Because independents will be the margin of victory between the two candidates," he said. "There are over 4 million independents in Florida alone. So far, neither candidate has seriously reached out to them."
Rather than courting them, however, Gruber is critical of Republicans he said "are actively working to restrict independents voting in primaries in states like Tennessee, Texas and Alabama. They just lost a court case trying to close the primaries in Colorado."
And Democrats?
Gruber said they are roadblocking candidates.
"Florida Democrats shut Dean Phillips and any other Democrats off the primary ballot," he said. "The party has actively worked to keep other candidates from running at all. They’ve left independents (and their own voters) with no choices in the primary."
Gruber said all of this has left many independent voters frustrated, and left out.
"Independents don’t like this state of affairs. They're tired of the partisanship. They vote for candidates, not parties," he said. "They are willing to become second-class citizens in many states as a way to protest our second-rate election system that gives power and authority to smaller and smaller bands of partisans at the expense of the people. Right now neither party has made a strong play for independents-they will be the real wild card this November."
— Antonio Fins
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott says Trump should stick to core beliefs
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who met with former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday evening, said the reason why Trump's ahead in the polls is because of Trump's core beliefs and his message to voters.
Scott thinks Trump is going to continue to talk about the core beliefs that won him the White House the first time, such as maintaining border security, economic issues and keeping the country out of international wars.
"I don't think anybody should want to run against him," Scott said. "I think that he's gonna continue talking about the things that Americans care about. That's why he's where he is."
— Stephany Matat
More: Rick Scott 'seriously considering' running for Senate leader, discusses it with Trump
Trump poised to sweep 'Super Tuesday' but poll raises some warning signals
Former President Donald Trump is poised to sweep the "Super Tuesday" electoral contests but a poll issued Monday revealed some warning signs signaled by voters in those very states.
The survey of voters in the "Super Tuesday" states showed Trump trailing President Joe Biden by a narrow margin in which the incumbent is up 47% to 45% among those who said they intend to cast a vote, with a 1.7 percentage point margin of error.
The poll's scope is limited as it surveyed electorates in only the March 5 primaries that are taking place in mostly solid blue and red states, including California, Massachusetts, Alabama and Oklahoma. But they also include states that have been battlegrounds in recent elections, including Colorado, Maine and Virginia.
For the full story on the poll, go here.
Fact-checking campaign ads for you
Campaign ads have flooded social media leading up to Super Tuesday as the remaining presidential candidates attempt to win over primary voters in 15 states and one territory.
These ads have spread widely — to more than a million screens in some cases — but many include false or misleading descriptions of past actions and policy proposals. Here’s a rundown of recent ads debunked by the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team:
Claim: Haley plan cuts Social Security benefits for 82% of Americans (False)
Claim: Trump proposed a 10% 'across-the-board' tax increase if re-elected (False)
Claim: Haley opposed a wall on the US border (False)
Claim: Post implies Haley reversed herself by pushing for gas tax hike as governor (Missing context)
Claim: Biden was declared 'mentally unfit' to stand trial (False)
What states are in Super Tuesday?
More: Trump hails ruling on Colorado ballot, turns attention to Supreme Court immunity case
With 1,215 delegates needed to win the nomination, former President Donald Trump leads challenger Nikki Haley 273-43 for the GOP presidential nomination.
On Super Tuesday, Republicans will hold nominating contests in 15 states and Democrats in 15 states and one territory.
The states holding primary elections on Tuesday include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.
One territory, American Samoa, will also hold a primary election.
Iowa's Democratic Party will also release the results of its mail-in voting on March 5.
Why is it called Super Tuesday?
Super Tuesday is the primary election day that decides the bulk of delegates for candidates in their respective parties.
The name “Super Tuesday” historical has been used to reference primary days when a significant number of states hold their primary elections, according to the National Constitution Center.
In 1984, the modern "Super Tuesday" began when March became the month to “frontload” the primaries.
FAU poll on immigration clashes with political narratives
A poll by Florida Atlantic University and Mainstreet Research found some surprising viewpoints on the hot topic of immigration and border security in America.
Namely, a majority of respondents in the poll released in February revealed they liked the immigrant living next door, but were split on foreigners' contributions to "American culture." And while states like Florida and Texas are taking border enforcement measures into their own hands, the survey showed a citizenry not "trusting" state officials to act on immigration, and somewhat leery about federal authorities, too.
The results reveal more complex views at a time when immigration is surging as, arguably, the dominant topic of the 2024 presidential election. Last week, U.S. officials updated their tally of the number of unauthorized people who have entered the country under the Biden administration to 7.3 million, a figure greater than many U.S. states.
— Stephany Matat
Palm Beach County Democratic Party leader suspended
After more than a year of divisive conflicts between Palm Beach County Democratic leaders and key volunteers, state party chief Nikki Fried has suspended Mindy Koch from her position as chair of the local party's ruling board.
The suspension marks the first time a state party leader has initiated the process for removing an elected county party chair from the helm. As of Monday afternoon, Fried wrote in a statement, Vice Chair Sean Rourk is in charge of the Palm Beach County party's governing board, the Democratic Executive Committee, pending the election of a new leader.
State Democratic Party officials issued Koch a compliance notice in early February after the local party, under her leadership, failed to meet deadlines in 2023 for submitting important document, including campaign plans, a membership list, meeting minutes and a budget. The deadline for turning in the documents, and bring the party into compliance, was Sunday afternoon.
— Stephany Matat
Why Trump criminal court calendar could see just one trial before election
Rather than splitting time between campaigning and appearing in federal court this coming week, Donald Trump will be celebrating his widely expected victories in the "Super Tuesday" Republican presidential nominating elections.
Initially, it looked like Trump would be summoned to appear at the Elijah Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C., for the start of his trial on four felony counts rooted in what prosecutors allege was the 45th president's attempt to stay in power after losing the 2020 election.
But that trial has been delayed. For that matter, the legal proceedings related to two other sets of criminal charges against Trump, who has declared his innocence and railed at the cases he says are "election interference," also are stalled.
Which raises the question: Will Trump's court challenges be resolved in 2024? Here is a rundown of where things stand.
— Antonio Fins
USA Today contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Super Tuesday: Trump in Palm Beach on GOP presidential nomination
