Trump extends lead over Republican rivals to 47 POINTS: Ex-president’s support has increased by seven points since debate and surged among WOMEN to keep commanding advantage over DeSantis

Donald Trump’s lead over his Republican rivals is increasing, a new poll shows, with the 91 charges against him only appearing to strengthen his appeal.

A Fox News poll of 1,012 voters, conducted between September 9 and 12, showed Trump now winning 60 percent of support.

His closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, had 13 percent.

The four criminal cases against Trump have not dented his popularity: In early May, with only one of his four criminal cases filed, Trump led DeSantis by just 49 percent to 19 percent.

The latest poll also shows that Trump’s decision to skip the first Republican primary debate, held on August 23, did not harm him either.

Before the debate, Trump was at 53 percent and DeSantis at 16 percent.

Ron DeSantis, who is struggling to gain traction in the primary race, will speak at the Concerned Women for America Leadership Summit in D.C. on Friday

Trump is seen grilling a hamburger before a college football game in Iowa on September 9

The third-place candidate, political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy, achieved a stable 11 percent from August to September.

Nikki Haley, Trump’s former UN ambassador and former governor of South Carolina, saw a slight increase in popularity after the debate, from 4 to 5 percent.

Mike Pence and Tim Scott remain at 3 percent, and Chris Christie at 2 percent.

“Unless something changes, this is Trump’s race to lose,” said Daron Shaw, a Republican pollster who co-led the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson.

“The question is: How likely is it that something will change enough to shake Republican supporters away from Trump and make them look at someone else?”

Nikki Haley will be seen campaigning in South Carolina on September 8

Vivek Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old biotech millionaire who has never run for elected office before, stormed the stage during the first debate

The biggest gains for Trump, Fox found, came from women, who increased their support for him by 10 points.

Voters under 45, white evangelicals and white men without college degrees also shifted their support to the 77-year-old.

DeSantis, 44, has found his support among women slipping, despite increasingly putting his beloved wife Casey on the campaign trail.

DeSantis’ popularity among women has fallen 8 points since August.

When asked about their second-choice candidate, respondents struggled to choose between DeSantis and Ramaswamy, with the pair polling 33 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

Pence outperformed his rivals, coming third with 11 percent.

Even more encouraging for the Trump team, 65 percent said they would definitely support him — up from 58 percent in June.

Ramaswamy, up 11 percent, and Haley, up 3 points, are the only other candidates who have seen an increase in the number of people saying they will definitely support them in November 2024.

Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old biotech billionaire who has never run for elected office, appeared on stage during the first debate.

He caused a stir with his divisive statements: his rise in popularity was also accompanied by a rise in disapproval: his unfavorability rose by 3 points among Republicans and by 12 points among all voters.

Haley, meanwhile, had an overall positive night at the debate: her positive ratings rose 9 points, and her unfavorable ratings held steady.