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With a nationally themed book on the shelves, multiple appearances in various states, and a series of TV interviews rolling out, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has left little doubt that he will soon be running for president. His announcement may not be imminent, however, since he has suggested that his decision to run would not be revealed until the Florida legislature adjourns in early May.
But that has not stopped a flurry of attention paid to every turn of phrase from the Florida governor on a nearly daily basis. Some of those reactions may provide a window into how former President Donald Trump and some of his followers may handle the impending presidential competition.
As anticipation percolated this week for a possible Trump indictment, conservatives in media and elected office joined a large chorus criticizing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for a plainly political prosecution. DeSantis did not weigh in for about a day or two, and some considered him conspicuous by his absence.
But when DeSantis did weigh in, he fully echoed the objections of Trump, his base, and conservative America, calling the potential indictment "fundamentally wrong" and "an example of pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the (district attorney's) office."
But perhaps with an eye toward illustrating future contrasts with a political rival, DeSantis could not resist also sharing that "I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair; I just can't speak to that."
But of course, he did speak to that simply by bringing it up—and some heads in MAGA World erupted in flames. "DeSantis is finished," tweeted one notable staunch supporter of the former president, as if the comment revealed the kind of naked anti-Trumpism that has crippled the fortunes of previous Trump competitors.
Trump Senior Advisor Jason Miller piled on with a flurry of red flags, as DeSantis then dared to offer a stylistic critique of Trump in an interview with Piers Morgan. "Ron DeSantis has finally shown his true colors," began a breathless tweet. "An establishment NeverTrumper who despises the MAGA base and was faking it the entire time."
Who on Earth believes this? It is Florida's "MAGA base" that has fueled the DeSantis ascendancy in a state that went for Trump twice. The Sunshine State's transition to solid red is the result of voter preferences for the brand of conservatism offered by both DeSantis and Trump. That is to say, there is enormous overlap in their two bases of support.
And that is why the tensions are building.
While Republican voters across America face what could be a challenging choice between a president they have appreciated and a rising star who may deserve their consideration, some of Trump's inner circle is responding with what looks increasingly like panic and desperation.
How else to explain the vapid, knee-jerk narrative that directing even the slightest barbs toward Trump somehow instantly signals DeSantis is a sworn enemy—and not merely of Trump, but of the millions who voted for him? Trump World's concern is obvious: that some of those millions of voters, while appreciative of Trump's presidential legacy and personally sympathetic to him in this time of legal persecution, are nonetheless looking to turn the page toward a candidate who might offer satisfying results in a more disciplined package.
The hyperventilations are particularly odd when a sensible strategy exists for Trump's team. That strategy is to remind voters what they loved about his presidency, and to guarantee more of the same. DeSantis is a good governor and could work out well in the White House, Trump's team might say. But he is unproven in the job. Why gamble? Go with what you've already enjoyed, in terms of demonstrable conservative results.
Instead, we get the former president's son, Donald Trump Jr., smearing DeSantis on his podcast as a globalist "RINO" in the mold of former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) or former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL). "One hundred percent controlled" by "billionaire donors," Trump Jr. proclaimed, a far cry from his appearance at a 2018 DeSantis rally where he praised the former congressman as one of his father's earliest 2016 supporters: "DeSantis here, from day one, he got it," he told an Orlando crowd back then. "He saw it. He was with us when it wasn't really cool to be with us. He was with us in the zero percent days."
You could say the relationship has since cooled, now that a Trump-DeSantis presidential primary skirmish appears to be in the offing. So if Trump is guaranteed to engage at full volume while some in his camp get the vapors at the slightest riposte, the question arises: What is the smartest play for DeSantis after his official presidential run announcement? Responding with Trumpian excess could create a painful cacophony that might repel millions. But would a subtler, more measured approach instead come across as weakness?
Not if he plays it right. DeSantis has said on several occasions that he does not intend to fill his days with attacks on fellow Republicans. But he has now provided a preview that shows he is willing to stake out differences, at least stylistically, and wrapped in what may be the most valuable campaign skill—a sense of humor.
"I don't know how to spell 'DeSanctimonious,'" he smiled in the Piers Morgan interview when asked about Trump's nickname taunts. "I kind of like it, it's long, it's got a lot of vowels—that's fine, you can call me whatever you want just as long as you also call me a winner, because that's what we've been able to do in Florida."
Trump has a campaign style that worked to his clear advantage against a crowded 2016 GOP primary field. His 2024 competition looks, at this early stage, like DeSantis and a gaggle of distant hopefuls. In a very different political year, we will learn whether the 2016 Trump strategy will once again prove successful, or whether his prime rival, already taking up space rent-free in the heads of his campaign team, can keep pace.
Mark Davis is a syndicated talk show host for the Salem Media Group on 660AM The Answer in Dallas-Ft. Worth, and a columnist for the Dallas Morning News and Townhall.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
