Trump versus DeSantis ding-dong risks tearing the Republicans apart
At the exact moment Donald Trump was announcing his 2024 run to a muted reception from family and friends at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Ron DeSantis was being greeted with a standing ovation from the Republican Party faithful.
Fresh from a landslide re-election victory, the Florida governor was feted as the future of the GOP at its annual Governors’ Association winter confab just a short drive away in Orlando.
Allies had pressed Mr Trump not to announce his presidential candidacy on Tuesday night so soon after a dismal midterm showing. Republicans have been blaming him for last week’s losses – the third straight election in which voters rejected the former president’s Make America Great Again (Maga) agenda.
But he did it anyway, and with Mr DeSantis also expected to throw his hat in the ring, Republicans are now facing the prospect of a yawning split in the party that could cost them the White House.
The first rumblings of discontent were aired this week in Orlando.
Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who has spent the past few years advising Mr Trump, told the high-level donors and consultants gathered at the Waldorf Astoria that the former president had become a deadweight that needed to be ditched.
He pointed to a YouGov poll last week that showed Mr DeSantis now leading Mr Trump among Republicans 42 per cent to 35 per cent – a drop of 20 per cent for the 76-year-old former president in under a fortnight.
It is not yet clear how much support Mr Trump will enjoy for his third run at the White House. Without exception, elected Republicans shunned the Mar-a-Lago event.
Even relatives appear torn. While Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner
‘Only one person can fill a stadium with 50,000 supporters in less than 48 hours anywhere in the US’
was among those in the crowd, his wife, Mr Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka, was conspicuously absent.
Mr Trump is said to be assembling a much smaller team than he had in 2016.
His top advisers include Chris LaCivita, a long-time Republican strategist, and Susie Wiles, a Floridabased political consultant who helped him win the state in his previous two presidential bids and has led his political operation for 18 months.
Kellyanne Conway, who managed the 2016 campaign, is expected to be involved in some capacity.
Mr Trump also has the backing of Sebastian Gorka, his former presidential strategist and host of the America First podcast, who this week told The Sunday Telegraph he believes his former boss deserves another term.
“There’s only one person in America who can fill a stadium with 50,000 supporters in less than 48 hours anywhere in the US, and it’s not Ron,” said British-American Mr Gorka.
Twice-impeached and under FBI investigation, some suggest Mr Trump’s decision to run – and declare so early – is in part driven by a misguided belief that his candidacy shields him from legal action.
Prosecutors are moving apace with inquiries into his tax affairs and his mishandling of classified documents. However, he may first be indicted on charges related to a subpoena to appear before the January 6 House Committee.
Those close to Mr Trump say it was more likely he had been influenced by the plaudits his one-time protégé has been receiving.
The 44-year-old governor of one of the biggest and most influential US states has harnessed anger over hot-button culture war issues such as race, religion, gender and sexuality.
The former federal prosecutor, who has roots in Tea Party conservatism, rose from relative obscurity in 2018 after winning the governor’s race by a razor-thin margin.
In a matter of years, he has secured a landslide re-election.
Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist and major Republican fundraiser, told The Telegraph that Mr DeSantis’s crusade had struck a chord.
“[DeSantis] is beloved by bluecollar, working-class voters, he drives the establishment crazy and doesn’t care what the media prints,” said Mr Ballard of Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm that has connections to both the governor and Mr Trump.
“He went to Harvard and Yale and in my 30 years in the business I’ve never seen someone with such an innate understanding and grasp of the issues.”
Mr Gorka, however, does not see a candidate with national appeal. “He could be a good VP to President Trump. Or an attorney general, given he was a JAG (Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps).”
Those who have worked with Mr DeSantis agree he is a natural introvert short on charisma. The father-of-three has leaned heavily on wife Casey, who is expected to take on a much more active role than Melania Trump did should her husband decide to run.
The right-leaning National Review recently described Mrs DeSantis, who has been an official adviser while recovering from cancer, as “the greatest political mind in modern history”.
In a sign of his fundraising potential, Mr DeSantis brought in more than $187million (£157million) between his two committees, smashing the gubernatorial record.
Mr Trump’s $100million war chest, meanwhile, has stagnated in recent months.
Mr DeSantis has routinely downplayed talk of a 2024 bid as he stayed laser-focused on his re-election. Allies say he will likely make an announcement after the state legislative session ends in May. Until then, they say he will try his best to avoid engaging with Mr Trump.
“DeSantis is an incredibly viable candidate, if not the most viable candidate in the country right now,” said Mr Ballard. “The world really is his oyster.”