By Kevin McCullough | Townhall.com
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Depending on who you are, this match up delights you or it brings dread, fear, and panic.
DeSantis fans are eager to convince you that the Florida Governor is Trump in policy, but kinder in personality.
Trump fans quickly point out that in just recent days DeSantis has flipped positions on a handful of items that appear to be motivated by some of his donors.
DeSantis fans will argue that President Trump allowed Fauci to stay at his job. Trump followers will remind you that DeSantis would not have his current job without the President’s endorsement.
DeSantis people will argue that he leads Biden head to head in a handful of polls. Trump supporters will point out that their man does too, and has a 40-50% lead over DeSantis amongst primary voters.
DeSantis raised $8.2 million in his first 24 hours compared to Biden’s $6.3. Trump supporters will remind you that he did $25 million.
DeSantis can claim the miraculous flipping of two heavily Democratic counties in Florida. Trump can properly argue the largest increase in support for any incumbent in the modern era.
Both are promising to battle the woke crazies that have taken over the United States Government these last 3 years.
Now let’s cut through the malarkey just a bit.
Trump is fighting like a heavyweight champion robbed of his dignity, rightful sense of accomplishment and a job unfinished.
DeSantis is the kid who can’t wait to get in the ring.
Both have talent, both have a rough sense of the opponent. But one has a mission. He was robbed of completing it and he’s not playing for second.
Both of these men have accomplished more in their terms in office than either were given the benefit of the doubt when they were running.
Both have had to fight incredibly unfair media coverage and persevere forward. Both served their people well and deserved to be re-elected.
My question boils down to motivation. Trump’s motives are clear: undo Biden’s damage and finish the job he started. DeSantis’ are trickier because if we believed his campaign speeches he should be focused on Florida.
Trump never needed (or probably honestly never wanted) to be President. He ran originally because he felt that the nation was in so much trouble that if you did not disrupt everything that the left had done we’d never get America back. He already had a better plane, a nicer bed, and more amenities than anything the White House had to offer. Unlike Joe Biden who became wealthy beyond belief while in office. Trump lost personal wealth every year he was President. He also refused to take a dime of salary from the nation—donating his paycheck back to divisions of the nation that needed it.
DeSantis’ timing isn’t driven by a calling of sacrifice but more of a timetable, and shadow advisors whose agenda is for a Republican win—without Trump. If he waits until 2028 his Florida term will be up and he runs the risk of being irrelevant. Or so the theory goes. I’m not at all convinced that’s true by the way. DeSantis will be 48 years old in 2028 and he’d have an even better narrative under his belt on the comeback of Florida than he has now.
I think honest America First voters would like to see the ticket be Trump/DeSantis 2024. It appears the likelihood of that happening now grows very thin.
You will remember that Ted Cruz beat Trump in Iowa in 2016. Trump beat Cruz narrowly in New Hampshire, and Trump squeaked by him again in South Carolina. Even though it would take Trump until May and Indiana to finally eliminate Cruz— he did.
Interestingly, Cruz had built the most impressive and most agile campaign operation of any candidate I’d ever witnessed, and it didn’t matter.
DeSantis doesn’t have half of what Cruz built, and I predict Trump will not lose even one of those first three contests. And historically speaking, whoever wins South Carolina, wins the primary. Also in addition to Trump’s overwhelming popularity in South Carolina, how does DeSantis break through the noise in that state with their most popular former Governor and their beloved Senator also running?
DeSantis has an incredible future. He has been sold some bad advice by people who likely don’t really care about his outcome.
Trump’s support is unmovable. The rest of the field including DeSantis doesn’t add up to its equal. So Trump will be the nominee.
I think it’s also worth noting that DeSantis has been cautious to attack Trump, and to his credit Trump’s attacks on DeSantis have been softballs compared to the canon blasts he leveled at the 2016 field.
President Trump also has a really magnanimous way of making peace with former rivals. The 2016 field being a great example.
The fisticuffs are likely to land some tough blows in the near future, but these guys are just prepping for the corrupt process of the general election and the nastiness that the legacy media will unleash on them.
Make no mistake that when the smoke clears Trump will be the nominee.
As should any incumbent President who broke the record and had eleven million more people vote for him than did the first time.
