The hyperventilations are particularly odd when a sensible strategy exists for Trump’s team.
With a nationally themed book on the shelves, multiple appearances in various states, and a series of TV interviews rolling out, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has left little doubt that he will soon be running for president. His announcement may not be imminent, however, since he has suggested that his decision to run would not be revealed until the Florida legislature adjourns in early May.
But that has not stopped a flurry of attention paid to every turn of phrase from the Florida governor on a nearly daily basis. Some of those reactions may provide a window into how former President Donald Trump and some of his followers may handle the impending presidential competition.
As anticipation percolated this week for a possible Trump indictment, conservatives in media and elected office joined a large chorus criticizing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for a plainly political prosecution. DeSantis did not weigh in for about a day or two, and some considered him conspicuous by his absence.
But when DeSantis did weigh in, he fully echoed the objections of Trump, his base, and conservative America, calling the potential indictment “fundamentally wrong” and “an example of pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the (district attorney’s) office.”
But perhaps with an eye toward illustrating future contrasts with a political rival, DeSantis could not resist also sharing that “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair; I just can’t speak to that.”
But of course, he did speak to that simply by bringing it up—and some heads in MAGA World erupted in flames. “DeSantis is finished,” tweeted one notable staunch supporter of the former president, as if the comment revealed the kind of naked anti-Trumpism that has crippled the fortunes of previous Trump competitors.
Trump Senior Advisor Jason Miller piled on with a flurry of red flags, as DeSantis then dared to offer a stylistic critique of Trump in an interview with Piers Morgan.
