Ron DeSantis Thinks Trump Can’t Win: As he prepares to announce his presidential run, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is being more critical of his future opponent, former President Donald Trump, than he has been previously, in speaking to donors.
What Ron DeSantis Thinks…
In the last several months, former President Donald Trump has been ripping Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his expected future opponent for the Republican presidential nomination.
DeSantis’ reaction has been to mostly avoid having anything negative to say about Trump at all.
When DeSantis tried to strike a balance, it came after Trump was indicted in New York. In the same speech, DeSantis both ripped prosecutor Alvin Bragg and was sure to use the phrase “porn star hush money payments” more than once.
This angered Trump supporters, with Roger Stone describing the comments as “political suicide” on Twitter.
It’s as though the 2024 primary contest will be conducted on the basis of which the candidates running against Trump is more loyal to Donald Trump.
But with DeSantis expected to finally get in the race next week, he’s starting to become less shy about criticizing Trump – at least, one new report says, on calls with donors.
According to the New York Times, Ron DeSantis has been telling donors that Trump can’t win and that he is a better choice to take on President Biden in a general election.
“You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing,” the Florida governor said this week on a call with donors, on which a Times reporter listened. “Biden, Trump, and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people aren’t going to change their view of him.”
DeSantis, on the call, did not talk about his ongoing battle with Disney.
“The corporate media wants Trump to be the nominee,” DeSantis said on the call, also quoting a voter who he met in Iowa.
“You know, Trump was somebody, we liked his policies but we didn’t like his values. And with you, we like your policies but also know that you share our values,” DeSantis said on the call, per the Times.
He also ripped Trump by stating “There are some that kind of raise money just for themselves.”
DeSantis also indicated that his approach to answering Trump’s attacks will change once he becomes an actual candidate.
In drawing a further contrast with Trump, DeSantis hearkened back to his time in Congress, during the House Speakership of another Trump enemy, Paul Ryan. He said that he will concentrate on cutting spending, in a way that Trump did not when he was president.
And DeSantis touted his strong book sales.
A Long Climb…
However, DeSantis will formally enter the race far behind Trump, despite looking like the favorite for a time after the midterm elections last November, when DeSantis won a huge re-election victory while many Trump-backed candidates lost their races.
According to the latest Morning Consult tracking poll of the Republican contest, published May 16, Trump has a more than 40-point lead over DeSantis.
Trump has 61 percent support, DeSantis has 18 percent, and former Vice President Mike Pence as 6 percent. Pence is expected to announce soon that he is officially running.
“ Over 3 in 5 potential Republican primary voters (61%) back Trump’s bid for the GOP nomination, giving him his largest level of support yet over his current and potential rivals since Morning Consult began tracking the race in December,” the text of the poll said. “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who hit the campaign trail in Iowa over the weekend but has yet to officially launch a bid, is supported by 18% of the party’s prospective electorate.”
However, it remains early and the campaign has not gotten going in earnest, so those numbers could easily change.
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Expertise and Experience
Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
