Donald Trump's Hometown Newspaper Endorses Joe Biden

Donald Trump's hometown newspaper in Florida has endorsed President Joe Biden.

The Palm Beach Post wrote in an editorial on Wednesday that "the nation would have much to fear" from a second Trump term.

The Context

The newspaper is located in Palm Beach County, the same as Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort residence. Mar-a-Lago has been Trump's main home since 2019.

Newsweek has approached a representative for Trump via email for comment.

What We Know

While voters in both parties have expressed concern over Biden and issues such as his age, the Post said undecided readers should "look with a set of fresh eyes" at recent developments involving Trump.

A poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released in August said 77 percent of voters thought Biden was too old for a second term. That was the view shared by 69 percent of Democrats who responded to the poll.

Age might be a factor for Trump, too, although the former president insists he is in excellent cognitive condition. Trump will be 78 at the start of a new term if he were to win.

The editorial said undecided voters may wish to consider two recent civil cases in New York which saw Trump fined hundreds of millions.

It also cited his recent comments about NATO, in which Trump threatened to withdraw American support from countries who did not pay their NATO dues.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said at least half of the 31-member countries will meet the target of spending two percent of national GDP on defense.

Trump was forced to pay $7.3 million in compensatory damages, $11 million for reputational repair, and $65 million in punitive damages to former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll over statements made in 2019.

In another civil defamation trial in May 2023, a jury had ruled that Trump had sexually abused and defamed Carroll, awarding her $5 million.

The former president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has said he would appeal the latest judgment, issued in January.

This month, a judge said Trump must pay $354.9 million in penalties after being found liable for business fraud.

Trump—banned from taking out bank loans in New York and serving as a company director for three years—has always denied wrongdoing and his legal team have said they will file an appeal.

Adding to Trump's legal concerns are 91 criminal charges across four indictments in Georgia, New York, Florida and Washington, D.C.

He has said each of the four criminal indictments, the Carroll civil case and the New York civil fraud case are politically motivated against him.

On his Truth Social media platform, Trump called the most recent decision against him, the $354.9 million in penalties, "election interference."

Trump lawyer Christopher Kise recently told Newsweek that the former president "remains confident the Appellate Division will ultimately correct the innumerable and catastrophic errors made by a trial court untethered to the law or to reality."

Views

Trump has gained a wide range of endorsements from prominent Republicans in the Senate, House of Representatives, governors and former cabinet members.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz endorsed Trump for president in January, saying he was "proud" to back the former president.

"I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President. Now is the time for us to unite to oust Joe Biden and save our country from the Democrats' destructive agenda," Cruz wrote on X.

In November 2023, Speaker Mike Johnson endorsed the 45th president to become the 47th.

He told CNBC: "I'm all in for President Trump, I expect he'll be our nominee, and he's going to win it, and we have to make [Joe Biden] a one-term president. We have to do that."

But others in the Republican Party have turned towards alternatives for another Trump presidency.

Rep. Ralph Norman has backed Trump's Republican primary opponent Nikki Haley, along with governors for Vermont and New Hampshire, Phil Scott and Chris Sununu.

"Thank you for your service, Mr. President, we're moving on," Sununu said. "This is New Hampshire, and we go forward."

What's Next?

Trump is the most likely candidate to become the Republican presidential nominee once again and a matchup against Biden is the most probable outcome, according to polling ahead of the Democrat and Republican party primaries.

He leads Haley in average head-to-head polling by over 60 points nationally, according to poll tracker analysis website FiveThirtyEight.

A total of 50 delegates are due to be awarded to either Trump or Haley in South Carolina on February 24, where Trump also polls significantly ahead of Haley, according to FiveThirtyEight.

March 5 is also "Super Tuesday," where delegates will be awarded across 15 states.

The picture is similar in the Democratic Party, where FiveThirtyEight says Biden is over an average of 68 points ahead in the polls over his only remaining challenger, Rep. Dean Phillips.

Update 2/23/24, 10:48 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.