Oh?
It WILL happen….
The old-timer ‘Loser’….
The younger upstart …..
Getting ready to fight for the crown of leadership over a party that is fighting change and its reality….
Right Now?
A Governor taking care of a tragicity and sorrow…..
A ex-President trying a revenge comeback for HIMSELF….
The winner gets to lead a bruised and scared party…
And?
Become the media ‘King of the Mountain’….
Does the younger upstart just step aside?
Or does he fight for the top ?
Florida is the gravitational center of Donald Trump’s MAGA-ified Republican Party, so it’s not surprising that the Sunshine State’s pugnacious Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, wants to be Trump’s rightful heir. Since his 2018 election, DeSantis has thrilled the GOP base by governing like a mini Trump. He defied public health guidelines during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic last year and kept Florida virtually free of a statewide lockdown. In May he perpetuated Trump’s 2020 election lie and signed a restrictive voting rights bill live on Fox News. And last month he dispatched Florida law enforcement agents to Texas to “secure [the] southern border.” According to one recent conservative poll, DeSantis beat Trump with a 74% approval rating (Trump scored 71%).
But in the wake of the Surfside condo collapse, DeSantis’s claim to the MAGA mantle is facing its biggest test, with DeSantis putting management of the tragedy ahead of Trump’s need for blind loyalty. On June 30, the conservative Washington Examiner reported that DeSantis’s team was furious that Trump intended to hold a MAGA rally in Florida while the search for survivors continued (DeSantis didn’t attend the rally). On July 1, DeSantis appeared alongside President Joe Biden and praised him for the federal government’s response to the tragedy. (The moment recalled the greeting between New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy.)
In recent days I spoke with a half dozen GOP insiders about the recent flare-ups between DeSantis’s and Trump’s camps. The sources agreed that DeSantis and Trump are on an inevitable collision course as the 2024 GOP field takes shape. “There’s going to be a blowup,” a prominent Republican said. “Trump fucking hates DeSantis. He just resents his popularity,” a Trump confidant told me. Asked for comment, Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington said: “Governor DeSantis has shown great respect.”
Part of Trump’s irritation with DeSantis is that Trump famously claims credit for anyone in his orbit who gains attention. “Trump tells people, ‘I made Ron,’” the prominent Republican said. “Trump says that about a lot of people. But in this case it’s actually true.” According to sources, then congressman DeSantis cultivated Trump’s support during the 2018 gubernatorial primary by hanging out at Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel. “Ron basically ran his primary campaign out of the hotel. He buttonholed Trump supporters and his friends,” the prominent Republican said….
…
“Heading into 2024, DeSantis is primed to push Trump off the throne,” former Trump adviser Sam Nunbergtold me. “Trump surely sees this coming and will ultimately offer Governor DeSantis a joint ticket.” …
…
…In the two weeks since a 12-story condo tower in this coastal community suddenly crumbled, killing at least 78 people, DeSantis has stood somberly with local officials, including Democrats, as they assessed the damage. He nodded in agreement when Biden visited and hailed their joint appearance as a sign that those with opposing political views can work together in a crisis. And he even skipped a rally in Sarasota headlined by former President Donald Trump, whose early endorsement was crucial in helping DeSantis win the governor’s race in 2018.
Since that victory, DeSantis has often taken his cues from Trump. But as he prepares for a reelection bid next year that could propel him into a presidential campaign, the tragedy in Surfside is exposing voters to a different side of the governor. He’s still the conservative populist who rarely parts with Trump. But unlike the former president, DeSantis is showing that he can tone down some of his most extreme partisan rhetoric during a disaster….
…
Still, DeSantis’ actions present a sharp contrast with Trump. The former president often threatened to withhold aid to Democratic officials who criticized him, including Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York. At other times, he appeared insensitive or clumsy in his response to people’s suffering. During a visit to hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico, for instance, Trump tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd of residents.
Mac Stipanovich, a former Republican campaign strategist, said DeSantis is “less frightening than Trump” to some voters even as he steadily courts the former president’s base.
DeSantis “has a finely tuned sense of what is the best red meat, on any given day, to throw to the MAGA base and he does it with some skill and no shame,” Stipanovich said. “Soon as we’re beyond the window of this tragedy, everybody will be at each other’s throats once again.”…
image…Reuters
There’s no difference between Trump and DeSantis.
Two peas in a pod as far as I’m concerned.
I was thinking it is more appropriate to say they are two pees in the urinal, but Jack is more polite and dignified than me!
Maybe on the basic policy stuff Jack…..
But just the fact that DeSantis IS dealing with a tragedy in a respectful way IS a HUGE difference……
And what about the age difference?
And the Florida Republican Governor’s ego can’t touch Trump’s
I think we all know that DeSantis is your latest Republican “man crush.”
I have plenty of company seeing the Florida Governor as a threat to the Big Guy who STILL walks on the water for some people….
Yes you and a bunch of Right Wing Republicans.
Good company you’re in there with your “man crush.”
But hey golly wow !Gee Whiz”
Ronnie doesn’t have as big an “ego “as Trump!How tye Hell do you know about his “ego?What do you have there Jethro?An “ego meter?”How damn stupid.
Oh but then there’s an “age difference!” Yeah there’s a big one between Kamala and Biden.Once again,more silliness.
Finally ,DeSantis gets kudos from the likes of you because he acted like a human being over the tragedy ?Good God what kind of low bar have you set for Republicans now?
None of this is surprising though.Par for the course here.
I give Ron DeSantis NO Kudo’s…..
You have made that view up….
He IS the new improved version of Republican….
Does he seem a bit less fucked up then Trump?
Absolutely …
But he’s no friend to my basic politics
If De Santis is in a tight race nect year will Trump try to sabotage his campaign to benefit his own plans to take rhe GOP Presidential nomination in 24?
Will be fun to watch.
YES Scott
But he’s gonna go after him much sooner….
Waiting till next year would probably be much to late…..
People tend to overlook Trump’s coming legal jousting coming up
1. I am no political admirer of DeSantis
2. I would definitely support another candidate in the Republican primary process over him if he runs
3. By no means am I willing to commit to voting for him in a general election if he becomes the Republican nominee for President
4. He deserves a great amount of criticism for his political embraces of Trumpism and what it represents
All that being said, there is clearly a huge difference between Trump and DeSantis, beyond a 32 year age difference. Before he found the need to tie himself to Donald Trump, DeSantis had a tremendously impressive biography of achievement for someone as young as he was. He is now the chief executive of one of the nation’s largest states, having been elected to that position, and is strongly favored to win a second term. Trump inherited everything he started with and lost it all multiple times. His ability to self-promote aside, he has been a failure his entire life.
So, DeSantis’s selfish political machinations aside, he is far different than Trump and would likely be a much stronger general election candidate. Thus, it makes sense for partisan Democrats to hope that Trump is the 2024 Republican nominee instead of DeSantis.
Yes CG…..
Thank You for your additional reasoning on the differences