Donald Trump is Leading His Rivals in GOP Primary: "Is the Fat Lady Warming Up? Yes"

"It ain't over till the fat lady sings." Donald Trump may have mounting criminal charges and lawsuits, but the Republican front-runner is leading in the polls against his party rivals in the GOP primary. And some of his party candidates, who said he couldn't beat Joe Biden, now show confidence in him. 

In the last few days, the 77-year-old has maintained a lead in "key" states against his rivals, including Biden, as suggested by polls like the New York Times, CBS News/YouGov poll, and Siena College. The numbers say he's beating the 80-year-old in five battlegrounds, prompting his critics, skeptical of his position, to take a U-turn. 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) admitted, "Looks like I was wrong," reported Politico. While noting the current polls confirming Trump's lead over the 46th President Biden, he added, "It's still a long way off, but today it looks like he's going to be the nominee." Several other Trump critics are also speaking up. 

A former Republication nominee from 2012, the former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, said, "Trump's lead in the polls over Biden has eroded the key argument that Trump can't win the general election." He continued, "Trump's GOP opponents are unfortunately left with divinity or luck as their last best hope." 

He was assured that nothing but "existential development" would stop Trump from winning the nominations. According to the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll, three-fourths of Iowa GOP caucusgoers admitted whoever wins the Republican nomination must beat Biden in the general elections. 

And the Iowa polls are in favor of the former President. Des Moines Register and Mediacom conducted a survey that found that Trump has a nearly 30-point advantage over the former governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, the second-longest lead after him, reported Reuters. J. Ann Selzer, who conducted the poll, said, "He's still the dominant player in the field, and his standing has improved from August." 

The Iowa people are more sympathetic to Trump and less callous about his four indictments: the Classified Documents case, the Hush Money case, the Georgia Election Interference case, and the January 6 Capitol Riots case. Based on the state's caucuses, Sen. Chuck Grassley predicted, "Right now, I'd say it looks like Trump's going to carry it." 

The Republicans who didn't support him have begun to see through the reality, i.e., the polls. Sen. Cynthia Lummis said, "Trump is going to be extremely difficult to beat." The New Hampshire-based Republican strategist, Dave Carney, said, "Is it over? No. Is the fat lady warming up? Yes." 

So far, his Republican rivals, like DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, have based their campaigns on slandering Trump. The former President, infamous for his inflammatory rhetoric, is no stranger to controversies, and his party opponents leveraged his bad reputation. 

However, Gregg Keller, a Missouri-based Republican consultant, feels Trump's "questionable self" is his biggest asset. "He can't afford to not be controversial." Keller continued, "That is his brand. That is his political raison dêtre," adding, "That is the No. 1 thing that attracts Republican primary voters to him." But not everyone is convinced of the latest polls favoring Trump. For instance, Sen. Todd Young said, "No, the primary isn't over. But it's late," he continued. "It's late."