Ron DeSantis, the popular governor of Florida, won his state in a landslide and has received much more national attention than in recent months. Floridians have applauded DeSantis’ handling of state problems like as education, conflicts with Disney, and support for law enforcement, and his no-nonsense approach to the federal issue of illegal immigration and their role (or lack thereof) in Florida has brought him even more national prominence.
DeSantis has made no mention of competing for national office, and his words have focused on taking care of Florida’s business, but now that he is in Donald Trump’s crosshairs, many are wondering how the Florida governor would respond.
As Trump and DeSantis are viewed as the two leading candidates for the Republican candidacy for the White House in 2024 and will likely face off in the primaries, conflict is inevitable and the two men are already playing against one another.
Red State examines the unavoidable circumstance:
“Bringing down opponents is a large part of politics and Trump has never been one to go easy on anybody, allies and enemies alike. If Trump has a goal and you’re in the way, he’s going to attempt to bulldoze right through you. It’s been simultaneously a huge weakness and a great strength. The same fight that bruises friend and foe alike is the same fight that elevated America. To be sure, Trump’s presidency did this nation a lot of good and even set the stage for the death of Roe v. Wade.
It’s why Trump still has so many loyal followers despite being two years out of office. DeSantis, meanwhile, has a very loyal following of his own thanks to his incredible governorship of Florida.
DeSantis has proven himself to be everything the left hates. He treats his citizens like adults, defies authority when it’s necessary, and uses common sense as a gauge for whether or not an idea is worthy of keeping or discarding. This especially shined during the pandemic when DeSantis lifted restrictions when it became clear lockdown measures and masks weren’t working.
But it’s that fight that taught DeSantis how to brawl, so he knows when and how to strike.”
Former President Trump has recently taken jabs at Ron DeSantis, calling him “Ron Desanctimonious” and “average” and boasting about receiving more votes in Florida in 2020 than DeSantis and how he assisted DeSantis during difficult times. When seen in the context of a fundamental conflict, the posts appear quite minor.
However, Trump was seen on film responding to the reporter’s query after voting in his home state of Florida. The affirmative response to “Did you vote for DeSantis?” is “Yes, I did.”
With Trump already begun to fire the opening blows, DeSantis’s counterattack strategy is already becoming revealed.
And it entails not fighting back.
According to Katherine Faulders of ABC News, those close to DeSantis have stated that his policy is to “not engage” and that he has no plans to reply to the assaults. Faulders noted that this is “certain to enrage Trump even more,” but it is unclear whether this is her personal assessment or what her sources informed her was the intention of the DeSantis campaign.
DeSantis team is not commenting on Trump’s recent tirade on his social platform, but sources close to him tell me & @jayobtv that the governor’s strategy is to not engage and he has no intention of responding to the attacks. (Something that is sure to anger Trump even more)
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) November 11, 2022
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
Red State further states:
“The question is, is this a wise strategy?
It might be good in the short term, but definitely not in the long term. Eventually, Trump is going to say and do something that will force DeSantis to step directly into the ring. Once that happens, there’s no stepping back out. If he doesn’t fire back at some point, it might run the risk of looking like weakness or, at the very least, Trump may say something that might fester in the heart of DeSantis’s campaign unless it’s refuted. CONTINUE READING…