DeSantis, Trump’s great rival in the Republican primary for the U.S. presidency

Trump’s great rival, but less so

So far, former President Trump, former South Carolina governor and former ambassador to the UN are candidates for the Republican primaries Nikki Haleyformer Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinsonthe entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and African-American Senator Tim Scott.

Now that DeSantis is officially going to be a candidate, Trump has a 34- to 45-point lead in the polls

Barring a surprise, everything points to DeSantis being Trump’s great rival. According to all polls the former U.S. president is the preferred candidate undisputed to the Republican primaries. In fact, the Florida governor has lost steam in the race for the Republican primaries and in the polls he is falling further and further behind Trump.

Henar de Pedro

Polls reveal that the voting intention for DeSantis is currently the lowest (less than 20%) since Nov. of 2022, when Trump surprised with a very early primary bid. In 2022, DeSantis was ahead in the polls despite not officially being a candidate, but now that he is about to be, Trump has a 34 to 45 point lead.

DeSantis, a Trump 2.0

In any case, DeSantis is being called Trump 2.0, which is. something like “younger, but with the same ideas.” He is a lawyer and was educated at Harvard and Yale. He served in the Navy, including time in Iraq, and was a little-known member of the House of Representatives from 2013-2018. He is not a moderate conservative, or as much of one as a Republican leader might be in 2023? little to none.

As governor of Florida he won re-election by over 1.5 million votes, the largest margin in the state in more than four decades.. Under DeSantis, Republican voters in Florida have outnumbered Democrats for the first time.

Under DeSantis, Republican voters in Florida have outnumbered Democrats for the first time.

During the Covid pandemic, he avoided mandates for masks and vaccines; signed riot laws after racial justice protests; and backed laws to limit LGBT education-the law preventing saying gay in schools, “Don’t Say Gay”-restrict abortions, and relax gun laws. Textbook Republican.

But his policies have taken a toll on him, albeit perhaps with people who will never vote for him. By passing these controversial and very conservative laws, he has earned in Florida the enmity of African-Americans, women abortion rights advocates, members of the LGTBQ+ community and, most troubling for a Republican, even Latinos.

From protégé to enemy of Trump

“It’s one of the most out-of-touch campaign pitches in modern history.” The phrase is from Make America Great Again (MAGA) – a movement created by Trump – to describe DeSantis’ candidacy. “Every day, more and more Americans realize. how out of sync Ron DeSantis is with their values. and how unelectable he really is,” the movement says in a statement.

Ron DeSantis is simply not ready to be president.”

Trump criticizes everything Florida governor, once his political protégé, does (he sponsored him to reach the governorship in 2018).. His supporters charge DeSantis systematically. Reasons many, but MAGA mentions two: for his “support of a national sales tax that would raise taxes on 90% of families” and his intention to “cut Social Security and Medicare.”

EFE

“DeSantis is simply not ready to be president”, but “President Trump is ready from day one to change our country, reverse Biden’s disastrous policies and make America great again,” said Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for MAGA.

Recently, candidates in special elections in several states that Florida’s endorsed ended up defeated. Trump was quick to point that out, and to lambasting “Sanctimonius” (prude), as he calls him.

The fight with Disney

As if having to contend with the strength of Trump – to whom even his problems with the law work in his favor with the average Republican voter – wasn’t enough. DeSantis has gotten into a fight with Disney, fight that the former president calls a “mousetrap.”

When the country goes to vote to elect the new tenant of the White House, DeSantis will be 46 and Trump, 78

The conflict began after the Mickey Mouse company publicly opposed a law promoted by the governor, which prevents saying gay in schools. DeSantis responded by pushing a law to take away Disney’s self-governance. it had exercised in its Orlando holdings for more than 50 years, something the business group saw as “retaliation,” summarizes Efe.

Brian Cahn

The conflict has already resulted in the withdrawal of an investment by Disney that. is Florida’s largest employer and in court litigation with always costly claims and counterclaims.

For the time being, in the electoral race, on DeSantis’ side is only the time. When Americans go to vote to elect the new tenant of the White House, he will be 46 years old, while Trump will have already turned 78.