Donald Trump will be a powerhouse in the GOP for as long as his heart beats. Does DeSantis run in 2024? Does he wait until 2028? Former President Donald Trump was indicted this week, which has only served to divide the nation further.
Those on the left who thought that Trump’s arrest would somehow “unite” the country were mistaken.
It was never going to happen, of course.
Even if Trump is convicted, a pretty big “IF” at this point, it won’t unite the country.
At this point, there is almost nothing that Trump could do to change the minds of some of his loyal supporters, just as there is nothing he could do to sway his detractors. If the case is dismissed, it won’t change their minds either.
That is really bad for the country.
Ron DeSantis Has Trump Problems
It is also really, really bad for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – who is now likely Trump’s biggest rival heading into next year’s Republican primaries for the 2024 Presidential campaign. Trump is simply sucking all of the oxygen out of the room.
None of Trump’s political rivals – including those who simply don’t like him and have had enough of his MAGA (read: isolationist and borderline fascist policies) – dare not risk upsetting the base. They’ve had to rally behind the now-indicted former president and play lip service (read: kiss his you know what) to the man who is still wildly popular with a large segment of Americans.
There is also no denying that Trump’s opponents likely overplayed their hand.
The evening news, not to mention virtually every prime-time cable news program, has had the “legal experts” come on air to explain the charges and chances that Trump could end up facing jail time.
Even Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, a vocal and sometimes outspoken critic of the former president who voted to convict Trump after the impeachment trial following the January 6, 2021 insurrection, has suggested the New York State indictment is political theater and little more witch hunt.
“The prosecutor’s overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the public’s faith in our justice system,” Romney said.
DeSantis Has Time
Ron DeSantis is just 44 years old and could be a viable presidential candidate – just not next year. Unless Trump is literally in jail, he’s running for president. If Trump somehow loses the GOP nomination, he’ll run as an independent – and pull enough of the MAGA base to ensure Joe Biden is reelected.
It was in early February that comedian and HBO TV host Bill Maher suggested DeSantis needs to wait “until Trump is dead” at least politically to run for president. Maher has, at times, also said that DeSantis could be the guy to beat Trump, but again that might only be in the primaries.
By running now, Ron DeSantis, at best, can win the GOP nomination – and that’s another big IF. DeSantis can’t win the general election unless he can get Trump’s support. Worse, by running now and losing – DeSantis could risk alienating Trump’s supporters in 2028 and beyond.
Donald Trump is Still a Powerhouse
The fact is clear: as long as Trump is alive physically, he’ll be alive politically and that’s bad news for DeSantis – and arguably to some extent for the United States. Even his biggest supporters need to accept that Trump can’t unify the country, and maybe those wearing MAGA hats and flying Trump flags on their lawns don’t care.
The same can absolutely be said of Joe Biden.
The current president has proven on multiple occasions that he can’t unify the country (except for a love of ice cream perhaps), but Biden is somehow smart enough to know this fact too. Biden was able to win over enough voters to win in 2020, and he knows a divided country works better for the Democrats.
This is another topic – one of the Electoral College actually favoring Democrats – but if we’re divided, the Democrats will win.
The country needs to unite around a better option. It is debatable whether that person is Ron DeSantis, yet, it is clear that Trump will continue to suck the oxygen out of the room from any Republican challenger. That’s not likely to change.
Maybe Ron DeSantis just need to wait.
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
