Frank Luntz: Trump ‘Paying a Price’ For Jan. 6 Hearings, Many Right-Leaning Voters Saying ‘It’s Time to Move On’

Conservative pollster Frank Luntz joined Kaitlin Collins on CNN’s New Day on Thursday to discuss one of the key questions in American politics today: Are the January 6 hearings having an impact?

Former President “Donald Trump is actually paying a price for what these hearings are showing. So it’s having an impact, even among Republicans,” Luntz said boldly in the discussion with Collins.

“Yes, 20 million people tuned in on the first night, but what they saw was too much of the politicians and not enough of that impactful, incredible video that showed exactly what happened in the Capitol,” Luntz continued, offering criticism of the hearings’ formatting.

“In the end, the American people react to the visuals—not just the verbal, not just the conversation—and it is those visuals that prove to them that something really awful happened on January 6,” he argued, suggesting that the committee members spoke too often and for too long.

As the conversation turned to Trump and his electoral prospects in 2024, Collins said, “DeSantis is … the greatest threat to Trump when it comes to the Republican Party” – bringing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) into the conversation.

“It’s more than a threat,” Luntz interjected. “The governor is proving that his approach and what he’s trying to accomplish and what he has accomplished in Florida is more significant and Republicans are now saying it’s time to move on.”

Luntz brought up a recent poll out of New Hampshire showing DeSantis leading in the key primary state over Donald Trump in a potential 2024 match-up. Luntz noted that the poll reflects the impact of the Jan. 6 hearings: “that is what’s changing the dynamic here. It is not having an impact on Republicans, it is having an impact on the perceptions of Donald Trump and it will have an impact on whether or not he runs.”

Luntz offered a qualifier to his remarks, concluding:

Make no mistake: Donald Trump is the most popular political figure within the Republican Party. But there is now a specific challenger. And Trump can yell and scream…but they’re having less and less of an impact with every single month.

Watch the full clip above via CNN

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