Donald Trump Loses Vote of His Former Lawyer on Eve of Iowa Caucus

Jenna Ellis, Donald Trump's former lawyer, has made her endorsement clear on the eve of the Iowa caucuses.

Ellis, who doesn't live in Iowa, continues to be a vocal supporter of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' bid for the Republican nomination.

However, even in a general election scenario that pits Trump vs. Joe Biden, Ellis told her one million followers on X, formerly Twitter, that she would vote for a third-party candidate over her former client.

After expressing her support for DeSantis and that she also backs businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, she posted: "I now cannot ever again in good conscience support Trump. I would not endorse or vote for him in the general. I will never support anyone on the Democrat ticket. I would not vote for or support Biden or Newsom, et al. If the general is a repeat of Trump vs. Biden, I will choose the best third-party option and endorse that person.

"I genuinely believe for 2024, that would be the best use of my support, my voice, and my vote as a Christian conservative. I really hope it doesn't come to that."

Newsweek reached out to Ellis on her Facebook page, along with the DeSantis and Trump campaigns via email, for additional comments.

Ellis, who now hosts a podcast and radio show, is a one-time ally of Trump who was indicted alongside the former president and 17 others in the 2020 election interference case in Georgia.

Ellis pleaded guilty in October 2023 to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings and agreeing to testify against the other defendants charged under Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' expansive RICO probe. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Just weeks after her plea deal, Ellis endorsed DeSantis in the Republican primary.

"It is time to stand with the most conservative candidate in this primary. On the issues that matter to values voters most, there is no one better than Ron DeSantis," Ellis posted on X on November 22.

A Des Moines Register, NBC News and Mediacom Iowa Poll published Saturday night has DeSantis in third place and polling at just 16 percent among registered Iowa voters. The Florida governor lags behind front-runner Donald Trump, polling at 48 percent, and second-placed Nikki Haley at 20 percent.

National polling indicates Trump has a strong lead in his bid for the 2024 GOP nomination. An analysis of recent polls by the website FiveThirtyEight found the embattled former president is the preferred candidate of 60.4 percent of likely Republican primary voters. DeSantis (12.1 percent) and Haley (11.7 percent) trail Trump by significant margins.

In her post on Sunday night, Ellis reiterated her support for the Florida governor.

"We can NOW choose well and choose wisely. #DeSantis2024," she wrote.