Costa: Support for Trump Is ‘Noticeably Soft,’ Voters Not Totally Committed

CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa said Sunday “Face the Nation” that he had noticed on the campaign trail that Republican voters support for former President Donald Trump was “noticeably soft.”

Partial transcript as follows:

MARGARET BRENNAN: To the campaign trail. Bob Costa, I know you’ve been out there a fair amount. What are you taking away from what people across the country are hearing? They’ve already written off Washington as broken a long time ago, right? But what are they focused on and concerned about?

COSTA: Well, Republican voters are looking to see if former President Trump is going to remain in this front-running position through the Iowa caucuses and through the New Hampshire primary. It’s evident, based on CBS News’ latest polling and my conversations with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and others in that state that Nikki Haley is getting a foothold in New Hampshire.

The question is, in the coming weeks, can she move from around 25% to 30% of support among Republicans in New Hampshire to 45% to 50% to 50% plus? And really make New Hampshire a place where she gets a bounce into her home state of South Carolina, and then later into Super Tuesday. Talking to sources on Wall Street, there’s likely going to be a migration of cash toward Haley in the coming weeks to help her survive late into the race.

But ultimately, when I’m talking to Republican voters, they still have the same grievances in many cases that Trump has when it comes to the perception- perception of a political establishment, a legal establishment, they believe is aligned against the Republican Party. And those grievances are fueling Trump’s support at this time, even as he faces so many other issues.

BRENNAN: It’s interesting that that sense of grievance, you’re saying, is what’s resonating above kitchen table issues, above national security issues? Where is that coming from?

COSTA: It comes from how so many voters channel Trump’s own anger over the 2020 elections. Some share his false claims that he won the election in 2020. He did not. And they believe he deserves a second shot. And it’s so unusual to have a former president running for the nomination again.

I mean, I can’t even imagine Jimmy Carter running in 1984. George H.W. Bush running in 1996. It’s historically almost inconceivable, but it’s happening and Republican voters, for the most part, are looking at him. But, I have detected Margaret, the support for Trump in some places, especially in New Hampshire, noticeably soft. They like Trump, but they’re not totally committed to voting for him at this late juncture.

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