If Ron DeSantis wants to “Make America Florida” in 2024, he’ll have to take on Donald Trump, his supporters, and a Republican Party that is still loyal to Trump.
In talks this week at the yearly Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando and throughout the country, Republican insiders, party volunteers, and GOP establishment officials showered praise on Florida Governor Rick Scott.
Ron DeSantis Is The Ideal Conservative Governor
They like his confrontational style with the Biden administration, his opposition to Covid-19 requirements, and his struggles against culture war themes such as critical race theory.
They do admit, though, that if DeSantis enters the presidential race in 2024, as some close to the governor expect he will, he will be crushed by Trump if he runs again.
As crowds of national conservative activists gathered in Orlando this week for CPAC, that dynamic was evident. A Trump fan shouted via a bullhorn that individuals who disagree with Trump should “go to Cuba” as he hawked a variety of Trump items on the road heading up to the location for this year’s event. Some individuals in the audience, though, were sporting DeSantis paraphernalia, including the increasingly popular “Make America Florida” caps. DeSantis has gained support among Republicans, but he has not yet surpassed Trump’s star power.
Those close to DeSantis say he is completely focused on his reelection bid in 2022, which he is anticipated to win since he has massive money advantages over his Democratic opponents. They think Ron DeSantis will not back down if the time comes for him to run against Trump.
Ron DeSantis-themed goods, including “Make America Florida” clothing, has cropped up at Republican rallies around the country, as the GOP’s grassroots base increasingly holds DeSantis up as the utopian ideal of what a conservative governor should be. He has raised over $80 million from contributors in all 50 states for his political war fund.
