Trump and DeSantis: The Drama Builds

“Who are you for – Trump or DeSantis?” This question reverberates across the nation as Republicans lick their wounds following a disappointing showing on Election Day. Such division and disappointment could be interpreted as an odd reaction to the single most important outcome, the GOP gaining control of the US House, which is still the overwhelmingly likely outcome, albeit with a smaller-than-expected margin. But leave it to the GOP to find a way to incite an internecine battle over something which can be considered somewhat of a success.

The political landscape did take a surprising turn overnight. Control of the Senate will remain with the Democrats now that Nevada been added to the list of GOP disappointments. So, with the Dems assured of continuing their control of the upper chamber no matter the outcome of the special election in Georgia in December, the 45th president will now have the stage all to himself when he announces his third campaign for the presidency.

Unfulfilled Great Expectations

Division on Trump and DeSantis runs rampant among conservatives. Some, like Raheem Kassam, believe blaming former President Donald Trump for the tragedy of not delivering a Red Wave is nonsense. “They set expectations so high – all the while carrying water for a Republican National Committee and party leadership led by the deeply unpopular Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, and Ronna Romney McDaniel. Now they’re upset,” Kassam wrote in a post-election day Substack article.

Others are out for Trump's blood. As one staunch conservative fumed to Liberty Nation, “What counts is the candidates who would not have been nominated were it not for his endorsement, and his record in those was one win (Vance) and five losses (Oz, Mastriano, Masters, Tudor Dixon, and Herschel - who was saved by runoff law). Could things be any more clear?”

Meanwhile, as the blame game reaches a fever pitch, the party braces for Donald Trump to officially throw his hat in the ring on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Why are people shocked when Mr. Trump plans to go against the party apparatchiks? After all, that’s his brand. One can’t help but harken back to that famed ride down the escalator at Trump Tower in 2015. He was mocked. He was jeered. Yet by 2019, a headline in Politico thundered, “The Escalator Ride That Changed America.” If we have learned anything since that fateful day in 2015, it is that Donald Trump keeps his own counsel.

On Friday, Nov. 11, Townhall reported the first congressional endorsement of a Trump candidacy – and a significant one - with House Conference Chair Elise Stefanik coming forward in support of the former president. Asserting that Trump is the “most popular Republican in America,” Stefanik said, “Republican voters determine who is the leader of the Republican Party, and it’s very clear President Trump is the leader of the Republican party. What the media fails to report is that we just won the midterms and flipped the House.” Stefanik also pointed out, “Poll after poll shows that President Trump would defeat any Republican challenger by massive margins and would beat Joe Biden if the election were held today.”

If we haven’t learned by now that Donald Trump is not a conventional politician, we haven’t been listening. He may believe he will be blamed for any and all Republican losses. And he may be right. He may also have determined that timing his opening salvo for 2024 on the heels of a big DeSantis win in Florida may take a bit of wind out of the Florida governor’s sails.

The question “Who are you for – Trump or DeSantis?” is often answered by saying that DeSantis is Trump without the baggage. However, it must be recognized that the Florida governor has yet to be tossed about by the leftist media hurricane that is certain to ensue the moment he announces his candidacy for president. Should he decide to go head-to-head against Trump, that won’t last much longer.

Maybe it’s time for the GOP to stop beating itself up – this includes all the whining and blaming.  Instead of moaning about a bitter intra-party battle between these two conservative titans, perhaps Republicans would be better off delighting in such an embarrassment of riches.