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Ron DeSantis Is ‘Donald Trump Minus the Drama’

Governor Ron DeSantis speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. By Gage Skidmore.
Governor Ron DeSantis speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. By Gage Skidmore.

Ron DeSantis bills himself as Trump minus the drama, but that may not be as strong a selling point as it seems.

In an era where the Kardashians rule and our own president starred in one of the most popular reality shows of the last two decades, people crave drama no matter how much they contest differently.

Ron DeSantis Twitter Hiccup

Take, for example, DeSantis’s launch on Twitter.

Never mind policy.

TWITTER SPACES CRASHED! Oh, the devastation.

Clearly, DeSantis is doomed. How could anyone survive such a blow? A technical glitch proves he could never be an effective president. It’s over before it even starts.

That was essentially Donald Trump’s claim after the technical hiccup. “I know Ron. The way he handled his announcement, he will handle the Country!”

Trump’s Strategy

Then again, dumb nicknames and overblown insults seem to be all Trump has to defeat DeSantis.

Not to mention cryptic posts on Truth Social.

DeSantis is smarter. He is more calculated. He knows how government works, which battles are worth fighting, and how to get things done. He will bring a cohesive team with him into his presidency that will cut through the red tape of the bureaucracy more adeptly and do exactly what the office of the executive is charged to do: execute.

Trump will be bogged down in legal challenges, calls for impeachment, and family squabbles.

The Twitter “Crisis”

Equating the Ron DeSantis campaign kickoff to a “crisis” is a bit hyperbolic, no?

I can think of at least ten things off the top of my head that are more deserving of that description, none of which is more important to the American people as the current state of the economy.

Babylon Bee did a brilliant job of highlighting this point in today’s headline: “Biden Says Anyone Can Crash Twitter, It Takes A Real Leader To Crash Economy.”

If people would simply calm down, a technical glitch wouldn’t even make headlines.

How many of us have had embarrassing Zoom moments in the last three years?

Remember the judge who couldn’t figure out how to change his home screen from a cat filter?

Or the guy whose kids kept busting into a quite serious interview with a professor about South Korea on BBC?

Those were hilarious.

But that’s not what the press wants. They want drama because we eat it up like it’s the last supper.

Desire for Drama

There seems to be a national urge to get into an all-out war, whether that’s at home or abroad.

The extremes of both sides fan the flames of division on their respective issues and tend to be highly emotional. Think AOC or Marjorie Taylor Greene.

The left fuels the racial divide, pushes ridiculous gender ideology to groom our kids, and insists everything is “hate speech.”

The right takes up arms when anyone suggests gun reform and asserts the country will never return to its days of glory unless we burn the government to the ground.

Both cringe when considering peace deals in Ukraine.

I’m not suggesting conservatives lie down and passively accept the nonsense that tends to come out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue daily. However, I wouldn’t exactly call Ron DeSantis a pacifist.

It’s safe to bet he’s not pacing the halls of the Florida governor’s mansion stewing over a half hour delay to announce his presidential bid on Twitter. He’s hard at work. Doing things leaders do – lead.

Is the Media to Blame?

People tend to want to blame the media for the rifts and heightened rhetoric in the country. Fair enough. Guilty as charged.

But if the media is criminal, we are complicit. Not only do we tune in, we invest ourselves fully.

Sure, it’s fun to spar in political spats now and then, but we can also be a little more discerning.

Know that headlines are clickbait. Take a moment to notice if the knee jerk meltdown is really necessary.

“Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster. WATCH!” If a comment like this seems enticing, maybe question your emotional constancy.

As Ben Shapiro tweeted: “Tonight was a perfect encapsulation of the campaign. If you’re obsessed with the optics of the Twitter Spaces glitch, then you’re probably not going to vote DeSantis. If you’re interested in political substance, DeSantis is likely your candidate.”

If voters continue to put personality over policy, Republicans have a greater shot at winning the battle but losing the war. Trump may win the primary, but he also has a much greater shot of losing the general to Biden.

If voters end up with another duel between two old men, both inferior options, then we would be wise to remember: we get the leader we deserve.

Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor for 19FortyFive.com. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

Written By

Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor for 19FortyFive.com. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

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