Republican Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina has officially announced his candidacy for the presidential race. Former President Donald Trump showed his support for Scott on Monday, praising him and comparing him favorably to potential candidate Ron DeSantis.
In a statement applauding Scott and taking a swipe at DeSantis, Trump wrote, “Good luck to Sen. Tim Scott in entering the Republican Presidential Primary Race.” Trump also emphasized their successful collaboration on the “Opportunity Zones” initiative and wished Scott success.
Trump praises Tim Scott's 2024 challenge, says DeSantis is "unelectable"https://t.co/iGcS1MaPwW
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) May 22, 2023
DeSantis, expected to announce his candidacy soon, currently holds a higher position in the polls than Scott and is widely regarded as Trump’s primary challenger for the GOP nomination.
Early polling results for the 2024 election among Republican voters, according to RealClearPolitics, show Trump in the lead with 56.3%, followed by DeSantis at 19.4%, Scott at 1.8%, former Vice President Mike Pence at 5.6%, former Ambassador Nikki Haley at 4.3%, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at 3.6%.
The “Opportunity Zones” mentioned by Trump refer to a provision brought forward by Senator Scott and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). This provision offered tax incentives for investments in underserved communities known as “Opportunity Zones” across the United States. The initiative resulted in substantial tax cuts and facilitated over $75 billion in private investment in underserved communities within its first two years.
During his press conference, Scott highlighted the positive impact of the Opportunity Zones, stating that they generated employment, low inflation, and rapid wage growth for the working class. He also mentioned his involvement in Republican tax reform, job creation, and attracting investments back to the country.
Trump further supported the Opportunity Zones initiative by issuing an executive order in 2020, encouraging federal agencies to prioritize relocating their offices to these designated areas.
Scott concluded his press conference by criticizing the fiscal policies of the Biden administration, attributing them to negative economic consequences such as inflation that has adversely affected families.
Time after time, this President has failed to keep Americans safe. I‘m taking a stand for commonsense solutions to end this border crisis and protect our communities. pic.twitter.com/jgWIih6J2O
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) May 18, 2023
