Someday, a survey will show that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) would defeat former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical Republican primary for the White House in 2024 by a wide margin of 23 points, 14 points, or 5 points. The next day, a survey showed that Trump had a comfortable 18-point lead against DeSantis.
Trump is doing well in several individual states. The prospects for DeSantis are promising in several respects.
So, what does this tell us?
Nothing.
To yet, there has yet to be any action in the campaign.
Former President Trump has declared his candidacy for reelection in 2024.
DeSantis recently won reelection in a stunning victory in a state that was once a pivotal swing vote. However, DeSantis has not yet declared whether or not he will run for president.
Nothing matters until the campaign begins. The surveys have no value. However, noteworthy developments are occurring.
Trump’s seeming weakness is the first. Many people believe that the Republican Senate majority in 2022 was lost due to Trump’s personal candidate choices, particularly in Pennsylvania and Georgia. Additionally, Trump’s gubernatorial nominees in Pennsylvania and Arizona lost seemingly winnable contests (Republican Kari Lake is contesting Arizona). Trump’s reputation has been hurt, whether justly or not. After all, the question “Are you bored of winning?” is central to his persona.
Then there was the Mar-a-Lago dinner Trump hosted with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes that ended in disaster. There isn’t a single person who feels Trump is a racist or antisemite who is telling the truth. Unfortunately, he appeared to be an idiot or a sucker. Why? Since he fell for it. Once again, an unintentional slip has him explaining instead of advocating and dwelling on the past rather than the future.
In keeping with the theme of looking backward, former President Trump appears more concerned with rehashing the 2020 presidential race than advancing the country. Voters in the Republican primary are more concerned about record inflation, a violent crime wave, the Brownshirting of our security services, gay porn in elementary schools, and the legalization of more than a million illegal aliens to replace law-abiding Americans than with his obsession which appears to include him advocating for “the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
However, DeSantis represents Trump’s most significant challenge… Trump is aware of this but has yet to find out how to confront the opponent physically.
For instance, at one of his MAGA rallies last month, Trump labeled DeSantis “DeSanctimonious,” and it went over like a rat in a birthday cake.
You have to understand that it is NOT the year 2016. Donald Trump isn’t competing against sycophants of the establishment or inactive U.S. senators. DeSantis is the genuine deal; he is a crusading governor who has turned a purple state bright red, who correctly identified COVID, who refuses (unlike Trump) to do commerce with the corporate media, and who gets things done.
DeSantis has been fighting and beating the left, including uber-powerful global businesses like Disney, for the last two years while Trump has been screaming about the past.
DeSantis has not officially announced his candidacy for president in 2024, but he is conducting a highly effective covert campaign.
DeSantis is looking into the COVID vaccination as Trump is trying to justify eating with an avowed racist and antisemite.
While Trump vents on Truth Social, DeSantis is dumping illegal immigrants in the laps of people who support wide open borders.
In other words, Trump communicates.
The governor takes decisive action.
A grumpy Trump makes a fuss.
DeSantis leads the current administration.
Donald Trump has trampled all over his First Amendment launch by selling $99 worth of digital trading cards of himself.
DeSantis is not prone to such slip ups.
But.
That’s irrelevant.
Ron DeSantis will need to run for president in 2024. Therefore he should announce his candidacy and start raising money. That means facing up directly with Trump, one of the most astute politicians in American history and a former president with an impressive record.
The polls and Kanye and Fuentes will be completely irrelevant when DeSantis announces (assuming he does).
DeSantis’s success or failure will depend on his strength and ability to beat Trump head-to-head. He cannot take refuge in his position as governor. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in a presidential election.
The campaign between Trump and DeSantis is far from over, although DeSantis poses the most significant challenge to Trump within his party.
Many high-profile governors have crumbled under the pressure of the presidency.