Oh the irony: Trump's delusional lies about a 'rigged' election may sink his 2024 chances

Former President Donald Trump’s narcissistic inability to accept he lost the 2020 election might be what keeps him from ever setting foot in the White House again (as commander in chief, anyway).

Trump couldn’t just be a normal sore loser – he had to go on a years-long rampage spouting gobbledygook about a “rigged” and “stolen” election. These lies have in turn been parroted by his Republican sycophants around the country.

It turns out many voters have taken that message to heart and may just sit out the 2024 election. 

And it makes sense: If you don’t trust the integrity of U.S. elections, why waste your time casting a vote? 

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Trump 'wins' among unlikely voters 

A new Paste BN/Suffolk University poll of unlikely voters found this group (eligible voters but disenchanted citizens) favors Trump over President Joe Biden by a pretty wide margin. 

It matters because this is a large bloc – as many as 100 million people – and these voters could swing the election one way or another. 

Sure, Trump is awful. But that doesn't mean Biden is a good choice for president.

By nearly 20 points (32% to 13%), registered voters who say they probably won’t vote next year support Trump over Biden. And among eligible voters who aren’t registered, Trump has an almost 2-to-1 advantage over the president, 28%-15%.

It doesn’t do much good for candidates if their supporters stay home on Election Day. And the survey found much of the rationale not to participate came from Trump’s rhetoric. 

As David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center and Paste BN pollster, wrote this week: 

“Here’s the irony of ironies – when the unlikely voters were asked why they were registered but not voting next year, about 13% used the words ‘election is rigged/corruption/unfair/don’t like the voting process/mail-in ballots.' These have been Trump’s words for the past five years, and the very people who could help elect him have totally soured on elections and voting.”

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Don’t celebrate yet, Democrats

Before Democrats do a victory lap, they have enough to worry about in Biden. Despite four active criminal indictments, Trump remains in a dead heat with Biden in the polls.

Survey after survey of likely voters shows how unenthusiastic they are – even Democrats – about a second Biden term. 

A recent Wall Street Journal poll found only 39% of voters have a favorable view of Biden and have given him low marks in his job performance, especially on the economy. Voters also say Biden, turning 81 in November, is simply too old.

And a brutal new CNN poll highlights how 46% of voters say “any Republican nominee for president would be a better choice" than Biden. Even 67% of Democrats want the party to nominate someone else. 

But who? If Biden drops out, the most logical next choice would be his vice president, Kamala Harris. Yet, Harris is even less popular than her boss and has proved to be a total flop in her job. In a hypothetical matchup with Trump, Harris loses. 

Both Biden and Trump broke records in 2020 for the number of votes each garnered. In 2024, after all that has transpired, it’s difficult to see how either candidate could muster anywhere near that much enthusiasm again.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at Paste BN. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques