It’s official. Ron DeSantis 2024 has been announced. He’s raking in cash and ready to get moving. The Florida governor, whom many expected to jump into the 2024 ring, declared his candidacy on Twitter Spaces, which wasn’t the smoothest rollout, but over 700,000 people tuned in, and his war chest collected nearly $9 million within the first 24 hours. There’s interest in this man for obvious reasons. Florida is thriving, with a healthy budget surplus, and DeSantis has a solid conservative record. There are unknown factors regarding his charisma, command of the room, and whether he can soak up attacks from Trump on a debate stage. Trump was the grim reaper of rising GOP stars in 2016. Is DeSantis the exception? With both men garnering significant buzz and support among the GOP base, a bloody primary battle lies ahead, but there is one aspect that could help blunt the damage.
Staffing. Within a day, the difference between communications teams from both camps was night and day. One is based on vitriol, mean tweets, and memes, while the other whips out the receipts of Trump-supporting DeSantis, ensuring the former cannot gaslight the other or the GOP base on the COVID lockdowns. DeSantis’ people were prepared for the initial salvos. The Trump team looks appallingly amateurish, and we don’t know who the finance director, the campaign manager, or the communications director is. It seems to be a bunch of flame war manufacturers who have been outmaneuvered at every turn.
The lack of quality operatives isn’t Trump’s fault. The Democratic-run DOJ and the Deep State antics during his presidency, which led to bogus and politically biased legal actions against some of his closest aides and associates, was a clear sign to everyone: work for Trump and risk being slapped with spurious charges and face legal bills that would bankrupt anyone but a former billionaire real estate magnate. On top of that, you have progressives seeking out former Trump administration officials at their new places of employment and exposing them to get them fired. It’s a headache no one wants, but the left’s obsession with destroying this man knows no end. They know how to taint the water, and GOP strategists with families aren’t going to risk it when they’re not the face of the GOP.
For now, the Trump team’s attacks on DeSantis are predictable and sometimes cringe-worthy. That could change, but to reach the finish line in the primary and general races, you need top-notch staffers who know how to run a national operation. Trump doesn’t have that yet. He has mountains of cash and a sizable lead in the polls. That could change on a dime. One thing that could clear the way is if DeSantis implodes on a debate stage.
So, for Trump, the most pressing issue is finding good strategists to keep this operation from going off the rails. Because we all know the problems he faces in the general should he clinch the 2024 nomination: There is a defined voter bloc, which includes self-identified Republicans, who can and will block him from the White House. Looking back to 2018, 2020, and 2022, there’s a confederation of voters willing to eschew anything Trump. Some persuadables could make things interesting and be peeled off if the economy tanks again, but if Trump rants about the 2020 election being stolen for 20 minutes, it turns these people off. The 2020 election is over, it won’t be overturned, and the GOP base, while angered by the funny business that happened during that cycle, is ready to move on to other things.
Trump has an excellent narrative before him, a political Ferrari of sorts: he could argue that he was right about everything. From Joe Biden screwing up the economy, foreign policy, and the southern border, the former president has excellent “I told you so” campaign fodder. The rants about the 2020 election muddy that message; additionally, no one is interested in the mudslinging against DeSantis, a man he praised vociferously for years.
If the Trump camp doesn’t shift into a more professional mode, I can see things stalling and DeSantis’ standing spiking. While the former president enjoyed a considerable boost in support when Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg indicted him, it’s hit the ceiling, hovering in the low 50s. DeSantis could easily catch up to that. But that unified support behind Trump when he is slapped with political witch hunts is what Democrats want—they want Trump to be the nominee. We must be aware of it because the Bragg trial is set for March 2024 as the race starts to accelerate rapidly. And Trump could be indicted on the classified document controversy, another bogus investigation, but a trial could also be set for next year. Let’s say Trump maintains a slight lead; it’s not good to have your presumptive nominee under multiple legal actions, political BS or not. It’s a factor and one I don’t think the base will tolerate despite the animus behind it. We need to win, folks. If Joe Biden wins reelection, this nation will be destroyed.
I can vote for either of these men, but Trump is a former president. He needs to start acting like it, and his campaign operation should reflect the professionalism and prestige of the office he once held.
