Former President Donald Trump said this week that he will “handle” Ron DeSantis if the Florida Governor challenges him for the 2024 GOP nomination. In a viral interview with David Brody of the Water Cooler Podcast, Trump again took credit for DeSantis’ 2018 victory and suggested there wouldn’t be a serious contest in the GOP presidential primaries.
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TRUMP ON DESANTIS: “I got him elected — pure and simple. […] There was no reason to go wild about endorsing him. So, you know, now I hear he might want to run against me. So, we’ll handle that the way I handle things.” pic.twitter.com/niHGu3qjjZ
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 18, 2023
Trump did not elaborate on how he planned to deal with DeSantis, but it is clear that the Florida Governor is in his crosshairs. Trump first coined the nickname “Ron Desanctimonous” just days before the 2022 midterms and has since stepped up his attacks.
Trump’s camp has rallied around the former president, launching a volley of their own criticisms.
Team “Ron DeSantis 2024” advocates claim that Trump supporters are in a “cult.”
But if you point out the fact that Ron DeSantis locked down Florida & promoted the vaccine for many months, even after Trump left office, DeSantis fans have mental breakdowns.
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) January 17, 2023
If you’re a Republican voter & you’re on the nonsense bandwagon of supporting DeSantis over Trump in 2024, don’t call yourself a friend to the J6 political prisoners.
Trump wants to pardon them.
DeSantis endorsed candidates who said J6ers deserve to rot in jail.#Trump2024
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) January 17, 2023
DeSantis has consistently remained silent on the attacks against him, insisting that his focus is solely on the state of Florida. Still, his 2024 prospects remain unclear. Before his landslide victory last November, DeSantis was questioned on the debate stage about whether he intended to run for president. He made no commitments.
Polling between the two republicans has narrowed to a dead heat. A recent national poll by the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows DeSantis beating Trump 51-49% in a one-on-one matchup – well within the margin of error. Last December, Vanderbilt University polling showed DeSantis beating Trump 54-41%. Shortly after, McLaughlin & Associates released a separate poll, showing Trump winning 58-36%.
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Without a clear frontrunner, and despite silence from DeSantis, the two halves of the republican party are making their case for the 2024 nominee.
DeSantis is best known nationally for his willingness to engage in culture war issues. His ongoing battles against woke ideology in the classrooms and corporate boardrooms have earned him high praise from republicans nationwide.
Enforcing the Civil Rights Act (and derived state laws) against anti-white and anti-male discrimination was a pipe dream of conservative intelligentsia for decades, and DeSantis simply went ahead & did it.
When you act boldly and defend your principles, people will support you. https://t.co/E5xq8kzinF
— this Max guy (@MaxNordau) January 14, 2023
The quality that I admire most in DeSantis and his team is that they want to advance substantive, durable policy changes. Yes, they know how to drive headlines, but there is always a deeper strategy for shifting institutions and advancing ideas. I've learned a lot watching him.
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) January 6, 2023
If he retakes the White House, Trump has vowed to wage an aggressive campaign against government bureaucracy, big tech, the media, and universities. Last month, he unveiled a comprehensive and ambitious plan to reform the federal government and end tech companies’ suppression of free speech. Former White House official Darren Beattie called it “one of the most powerful, informed, and serious statements on the critical issue of Big Tech censorship ever given by an elected official.”
"Without question this is one of the most powerful, informed, and serious statements on the critical issue of Big Tech censorship ever given by an elected official" https://t.co/35lnQ6yzub
— Darren J. Beattie 🌐 (@DarrenJBeattie) December 16, 2022
While a Trump-Desantis matchup has yet to manifest in reality, the country is still watching with bated breath. If DeSantis does issue a challenge to the former president, he would likely do so after the end of Florida’s legislative session in May.
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