Commentary, Interpretation and Analysis of News and Current Affairs
On November 15, the former one-term president Donald Trump did what had been expected and announced his candidacy for the 2024 Presidential election – what he called a "quest to save America".
Around the same time, various of his closest and most ardent supporters took the opportunity to kick-back against Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis, offering various warnings that he shouldn't run against Trump. Two of his more extreme supporters, adorned in MAGA hats – the uniform of Trump's followers – were filmed outside of Trump Tower in New York, trampling on a Ron DeSantis campaign flag.
Another of Trump's closest allies – Mike Lindell – broadcast a video live from Trump's announcement at Mar-A-Lago offering some words of advice for Ron DeSantis regarding whether he should run against Trump:
Lindell's advice for DeSantis echoed that offered by a couple of Trump's lawyers during a 'Save America' rally last week – they suggested that the Florida Governor should simply "Stay in Florida".
Many others also remain unshakably loyal to Trump, particularly the controversial Republican Marjorie Taylor-Greene of neighboring Georgia. MTG remains convinced that Trump is the only suitable leader for America and has shared that sentiment repeatedly on social media.
The amount of noise that is being added to Trump's announcement regarding DeSantis suggests that the Trump camp could be feeling threatened by the Florida Governor who seems now to be more popular amongst Republican voters (outside of the MAGA core) than Trump himself.
Just days before midterm elections, Trump referred to Governor DeSantis in derogatory terms, calling him 'Ron DeSanctimonious'. The one-term president's comments drew a great deal of backlash from Republicans who were critical of Trump for potentially hindering DeSantis' chances of re-election on the eve of midterms. Since then of course, DeSantis has been at the helm for a red wave (in Florida at least).
Meanwhile, numerous Trump endorsed candidates across America have failed to win their battles, including Kari Lake in Arizona.
Perhaps most significant, is that polls taken since the midterm elections have revealed that Ron DeSantis is viewed more favorably than Trump by Republican voters – crucially he's also favored by those over the age of 65 and by women.
DeSantis meanwhile seems to be playing it cool and refuses to rise to the bait. When asked at a press conference on November 15 about the tensions with Trump, he simply pointed to the recent results he achieved in Florida. Having won another term in office, it seems unlikely that he'll declare a presidential run any time soon, and may well wait until at least after the next legislative season in 2023 before he considers a run for the White House.
Do you think that DeSantis should be concerned about Trump's announcement, or should the fear be from Trump towards DeSantis? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Commentary, Interpretation and Analysis of News and Current Affairs
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