Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 44, announces today on Twitter audio his 2024 run for president, lagging former President Donald Trump by some 20 points in recent polls, something that could change overnight. Trump, who was indicted on 34 felonies by 49-year-old Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg April 4, and just lost a $5 million civil suit by 79-year-old former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll, faces more legal hurdles with the U.S. Department of Justice. DeSantis has been coy, reluctant to criticize Trump, once mentor that helped him win the Florida governor’s race Nov 6, 2018. But Republican donors have not lined up behind DeSantis in the 2024 race, seeing DeSantis, withy all his foibles, as the best hope for beating 80-year-old President Joe Biden. Trump finds himself on thin ice with Special Counsel Jack Smith breathing down his neck, perhaps weeks away from another indictment.
Announcing his 2024 candidacy today with 51-year-old mega-billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk by his side in his Twitter announcement, gives DeSantis added credibility at a time when the media would rather support Trump, knowing he’d likely lose a rematch with Biden. Trump’s on his revenge tour thinking he was cheated out of the 2020 election, believing that the election was rigged against him. But instead of saying anything negative about Trump, DeSantis has let the former President hit him with a flurry of disparaging remarks. DeSantis has shown maturity not sucked into any back-and-forth by Trump, looking for publicity at a time when any day his 2023 bid could end anytime. One more indictment, especially by the Department of Justice, no matter how bogus, would end Trump’s 2024 campaign, simply having too much baggage to continue in presidential bid.
Republicans must get use to the difference between DeSantis and Trump. Trump is a true showman, a ringleader who can entertain massive audiences with a free-flowing, natural style, rivaled by no one in recent times. Even Presidents John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan didn’t have Trump’s flair and entertainer quality at campaign rallies. So, when it comes to Republicans getting behind DeSantis as the best hope for beating Biden, they must get used to his more sedate style. Maybe DeSantis can work his way into the part of presidential candidate, knowing he must learn to wow audiences and perform with great skill with a hostile Democrat-controlled press. DeSanits is the only GOP candidate capable of pulling anything but low single digits, including a bevy of candidates led by 52-year-old former U.N. Amb. Nikkin Haley and 72-year-old former Arkasas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
When it comes to other possible GOP candidates like 63-year-old former Vice President Mike Pence, 37-year-old biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, or 60-year-old former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, none have any national appeal, would be no match to Biden. U.S. press will work in overdrive to destroy DeSantis’ campaign, highlight his controversial decisions as Florida governor, including banning educators from discussing LGBTQ issues in elementary schools or taking controversial books out of classrooms or libraries. DeSantis six-week rule on abortions is one of the strictest in the country, short of an outright ban. So DeSantis comes with controversial conservative credentials, something that will have to adjust if he wins the GOP nomination. Pivoting to the center will pull in independent voters not happy with reelecting Biden for his old age and, more importantly, bad judgment.
DeSantis will get smacked around by Trump and the Democrat-controlled press, highlighting his controversial positions on blacks and gays, both vocal Democrats groups backing Biden. U.S. press plans to paint DeSantis as a MAGA devotee, holding the same views as Trump. But unlike Trump, DeSantis has the Ivy League pedigree, playing baseball and graduating from Yale and Harvard law school. Serving in the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant Commander in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, DeSantis served at Guantanamo Bay as a junior legal officer, getting firsthand experience with Islamic terrorists, some responsible for Sept. 11. DeSantis ran for Congress and served from 2012-2016. Trump had none of the conventional credentials that make DeSantis difficult to assail by the liberal press. DeSantis’ Twitter announcement today looks derailed for technical reasons.
Jumping into the race without a big splash, DeSantis’s Twitter rollout didn’t go as planned at least not yet. Whether Twitter can complete the announcement today is anyone’s guess. What’s known for sure is that DeSantis has officially thrown his hat into the ring, prompting many questions from the liberal press. DeSantis looks like he’s got the big GOP donors behind his campaign, looking for a fresh face in 2024. Trump thinks he can continue competing in the 2024 race, largely because of his loyal following, that hasn’t yet transitioned away from his candidacy. DeSantis has the luxury to sit back and wait for Special Counsel Jack Smith to charge Trump with violating the Presidential Records Act. One more indictment would derail Trump’s 2024 campaign, giving DeSantis a dramatic bump in the polls. DeSantis’ advisers know that Trump is on thin ice, ready any day to implode.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
d
