Frank Luntz Says He ‘Would Bet’ $150,000 On Trump To Win In November: ‘I Thought He Was Done’

Republican pollster Frank Luntz said he “would bet” $150,000 on former President Donald Trump when asked for his prediction on the presidential election.

“If you had to bet $150,000 on who’s going to win in November, who would you bet on?” a CBS reporter asked Luntz after Wednesday’s debate between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.

“I never dreamed that I would say this, but I would bet on Trump. I never – I thought it was done. I thought it was over,” he replied. 

“You don’t come back from an impeachment, you don’t come back from January 6, you don’t come back from any of this, but he’s come back,” he continued. “The guy’s a survivor, and his opponent is having so much trouble that I would, at this point, give the edge to Trump.”

Luntz later attempted to slightly walk back his comments in a follow-up statement to Breitbart News, stating that a poor performance in the upcoming Iowa caucuses could derail his campaign. “I wouldn’t put much stock in it. All that could change on Monday if Trump has a bad showing,” the veteran pollster said of his previous comments.

Trump is currently on track to perform well in Iowa, if polling holds up. As of this report, the president is averaging roughly 53 percent support according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. This is good for a nearly 35-point lead over his nearest challenger in former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Trump will be hoping to emerge as the winner in the Iowa caucuses for the first time after he narrowly lost to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2016.