Is there any doubt Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is gearing up to run for president in 2024? Sure, he has to win his own re-election as governor first, but that seems as close to a lock as one could hope for depending on who Democrats choose. DeSantis is America’s governor, the governor of freedom and fighting destructive progressive policies.
On the opposite side of the same coin, former President Donald Trump also seems to be inching closer to launching a 2024 presidential run. The timing of such an announcement seems to be of great debate but Trump himself seems to want a “sooner rather than later” announcement. Some of that urgency has to do with DeSantis’ sheer star power among the GOP base.
DeSantis recently held a gathering in Ft. Lauderdale bringing together influential conservative media personalities and big-time Republican donors, the clearest sign yet he’s headed toward a national presidential run:
Attendees at the event in Fort Lauderdale — which sources described as the most significant assembly of Republican governors outside of the RGA so far this year — included Govs. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Bill Lee of Tennessee, Arkansas gubernatorial candidate and former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former Maine Gov. and current gubernatorial candidate Paul LePage and Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt.
Conservative media influencers in attendance included Buck Sexton, Lisa Boothe and Josh Hammer.
DeSantis’ political operation billed the “lightly scheduled” event as a chance to connect his key donors and friendly media figures to Republican governors and candidates who share the Florida governor’s political priorities and support his style of governing.
Trump still holds the easy lead among GOP primary voters, even over DeSantis, but there is a growing number who are ready to find some new blood on the national stage.
In recent polls, Trump is still getting near 50% of primary voters, but an increasing number would support someone else:
Trump remains the leading candidate in a hypothetical race against five other possible GOP opponents in a New York Times/Siena College poll, with 49% of primary voters saying they would support him. But 46% say they would vote for one of the others. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis emerged as the top rival, with 25% support, the only other one to reach double digits.
These are the kind of digits that will light a fire under Trump’s desire to announce his 2024 intentions perhaps before the midterms or immediately after. No one really knows, not even his closest advisors. There have also been rumors Trump could simply announce his run on Truth social, bypassing his advisors entirely, but that scenario seems unlikely.
Then, there are national pop culture figures like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan, both of whom have said positive things about DeSantis and negative things about Trump:
Elon Musk said Donald Trump should “sail into the sunset” rather than run for president again and predicted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will easily beat Joe Biden if the two square off in 2024.
In a series of tweets to his more than 100 million followers, Musk pointed out Trump, now 76, would be 82 by the end of a potential second presidential term. That’s “too old to be chief executive of anything, let alone the United States of America,” the Tesla Inc. CEO wrote. Musk also said there was “too much drama” when Trump was in office.
Musk had previously been at worst neutral toward the former President, sometimes praising Trump’s support for Tesla and SpaceX. However, at a recent rally, Trump called Musk a “bullsh*t artist” over his decision to pull out from buying Twitter. That statement from Trump set off Musk to call for Trump to step aside in 2024.
Musk did soften his statement saying he didn’t “hate the man” and called for Democrats to stop attacking the former president. Musk also, however, has voiced support for DeSantis in 2024 which probably struck the wrong chord with Trump.
The point in the Musk-Trump flap is that a Trump-DeSantis primary battle could turn into a national media firestorm involving names and influencers that typically reside outside the political sphere. People like Musk and Rogan seem drawn into 2024 as they watch the Biden administration make a mess of the country.
Some observers have pointed out that DeSantis’ re-election in November isn’t assured and that talk of a presidential run may be premature. That could be true, and months of time in politics is an eternity.
What would a Trump-DeSantis primary look like? That all depends on how humble or willing either man is to concede to the other. DeSantis has already signaled some lines of attack he would use on Trump, such as a belief that the decision to lock down the country in March of 2020 was the wrong move. Trump has signaled that he believes DeSantis is where he is because the trail was blazed for him and he wouldn’t be there without The Donald’s help.
Ultimately, the battle could split the GOP which needs to be well-healed before the general election rolls around in 2024. In short, the DeSantis-Trump battle could make the Cruz-Trump battle look like child’s play.
Who wins this primary war is still anyone’s guess. For the moment, it’s political writers reaping the most benefit.