With Trump’s name in the news more and more due to the recent legal developments out of New York, it is becoming clearer and clearer that he and Florida Governor Ron Desantis are headed into what is sure to be a nail-biter of a head to head battle for the Republican nomination. Recent polls show Trump climbing above Desantis where it had been the opposite only a couple of months ago. This is surely a testament to the human psyche. Trump is center stage again whereas Desantis is feeling the effects of the adage that “what is out of sight is out of mind.”
Trump, who is certainly no stranger to press, public scrutiny, and legal persecution is now gaining some sympathy from voters who consider themselves in the middle or who were otherwise non-committal concerning the 2024 political hopefuls. As yet another seemingly “trumped-up” case drags the former President back into the court room, hearts and minds sway. When the legal genius of former CIA deputy director Andrew McCabe who is now a contributor for CNN admits to their viewers that the case against Trump is a “disappointment” due to it’s seeming lack of teeth – even the more liberal minds may begin to doubt if the day will ever come that sees Trump behind bars as pundits on CNN have been promising for years on end. An audience can surely only eat the same baloney so many times before they begin to turn away in disgust.
The question arises how Desantis may feel about these changes in polling and seeming popularity. Trump has the clout of having already won the National race in the infamous 2016 cycle, but will this and the new publicity regarding the latest round of politically-charged prosecutions be enough to secure another win? Desantis has of course never stated that he will in fact run for the presidency in the upcoming cycle, but his name has been in the forefront of many hearts, minds, and political polls with many taking it for granted that he will indeed run.
A new report from the Washington Examiner detailing that Trump appears to be trying to “poach” some of the Florida Governor’s largest donors, makes this author wonder whether Desantis may indeed switch gears and pursue his own ambitions with a gusto that he has been hesitant to exhibit thus far. Only time will tell, but when one’s source of funding comes into question men have a habit of reacting. Whether Desantis intends to run for President or not, he surely has future ambitions, and to lose some of his biggest donors to former President Trump may hinder his abilities to raise capital and fund future campaigns.
As we watch the race unfold, more and more scrutiny will be applied to these two men. Trump has missed no punches making clear his ambitions and goals to be seated as the 47th President. As of the publishing of this article it appears that the ball is in Desantis’s court to make his decision and to fight to clear his own path to the primary nomination on the Republican ticket if he wants it.