Donald Trump has unsettled close associates of Ron DeSantis, who believe the Florida governor will have to fight much harder to win the GOP nomination, reports say.
Recent polls have shown Trump clinging to sovereign leadership, with a Morning Consult poll showing the ex-president leading DeSantis by 28 points, 54-26.
It’s the biggest lead Trump has seen since announcing his third White House run, though recent polls from Quinnipiac and Yahoo/YouGov showed him leading DeSantis by 14-15 points.
Sarah Longwell, a Republican strategist who is anti-Trump, attributes the shift to Trump’s supporters returning to him, as well as his spate of attacks on DeSantis.
Advisors to DeSantis said the governor’s candidacy — which many believed would begin in May — has transitioned from a “crowning” to a protracted 50-state battle for delegates, according to the Washington Post.
Those close to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (pictured, right) fear he could face a tougher challenge from former ally Donald Trump (pictured, left) as it looks like he’ll resign his mantle as GOP -Don’t give up the presidential candidate without a fight
Recent polls have shown that former President Trump has widened his lead over Governor DeSantis
DeSantis confidants said they still believe he can catch up, with ex-GOP Rep. Lou Barletta saying he’ll take a hit in the polls once he officially enters the race.
“People in a lot of states are just getting to know him and the campaigns are long,” Barletta said.
A source close to DeSantis said he has “steel for a backbone” and will not bow the knee to Trump’s attacks, which they called “silly smear tactics.”
But at least one person familiar with discussions surrounding the DeSantis campaign said they believe Trump is trying to kill him in the manger and suggested the DeSantis team had no plan to fight back.
They spoke about the governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis, who a source says is “not a down person.”
Some DeSantis critics in Florida have come up with a scathing nickname for him: “JebSantis.”
The remark refers to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who regularly ridiculed Trump during the 2016 campaign. Bush has already endorsed DeSantis.
“DeSantis is quick to realize that consolidating anti-Trump voting in a GOP primary is like crossing a multi-lane freeway,” said Caroline Wren, a pro-Trump fundraiser.
“Any position he takes to move forward will be seen as a break with or following Trump and will end up alienating certain factions of the party.”
At least one person familiar with discussions surrounding the DeSantis campaign said they believe Trump is “trying to kill him in the crib” and suggested the DeSantis team had no plan to fight back.
Some DeSantis critics in Florida have come up with a scathing nickname for him: “JebSantis.” The remark refers to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (pictured above center) who regularly ridiculed Trump during the 2016 campaign. Bush has already endorsed DeSantis
Sources spoke about the governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis (pictured left), who was said to be “not a beat-up person” when it comes to responding to Trump
DeSantis has not yet launched a formal presidential bid for 2024, but is expected to do so at the end of the Florida legislature.
Mike Pence, who also did not start an official run, was third with seven percent, followed by former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley with four percent.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., received three percent support from respondents, although she is also not in the running.
But DeSantis fared slightly better against Biden than Trump.
When asked about a hypothetical matchup between Biden and DeSantis, respondents preferred the current president by 43 percent to 41 percent.
Former President Trump is now 28 points ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a new poll
DeSantis has not yet launched a formal presidential bid for 2024, but is expected to do so at the end of the Florida legislature
In a hypothetical match between Biden and Trump, Biden leads 44 to 41 percent.
The poll was conducted March 17-19, when news broke that Trump expects to be indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. About 3,400 prospective Republican primary voters responded, and the poll has a two percentage point margin of error.
The Trump world has consistently attacked DeSantis after he refrained from coming to the former president’s defense following news of his impeachment.
DeSantis attacked investigations into GOP rival Trump on Monday after a two-day delay. Manhattan DAs are investigating the $130,000 hush payment to Stormy Daniels. Trump refunded payments to former fixer Michael Cohen.
DeSantis said he didn’t know “what entails paying a porn star hush money to ensure silence about any sort of alleged affair,” and then accused Bragg of ignoring rising crime in New York.
At the same time, he parroted some of Trump’s attacks and called Bragg a “Soros-funded prosecutor” — a reference to a $1 million donation the billionaire made to Color of Change during the 2021 Bragg election.
“What I can talk to is that if you have a prosecutor who ignores crimes that happen every day in his jurisdiction and he decides to go back many, many years to try and use something about porn star hush payments, ‘ DeSantis said, raising the case a second time.
“You know, this is an example of pursuing a political agenda and arming the bureau,” he added.
Opening up about the dig of his hush money payment, Trump raged on Truth Social: “Ron DeSanctimonious will likely learn about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES at some point in the future as he gets older, wiser and better known about being unfairly and illegally assaulted by a woman.” , even from classmates who are “underage” (or possibly a male!). I’m sure he’ll want to fight these underdogs as much as I do!’
DeSantis finally spelled out the differences between him and Trump in an interview with Piers Morgan published Tuesday.
“Well, I think there are a couple of things. The approach to COVID was different. I would have fired someone like Fauci. I think he got way too big for his pants and I think he did a lot of damage.
“I also think that only in relation to my approach to leadership, I get personnel in government that have the people’s agenda and share our agenda. You bring your own agenda, you’re gone. We just won’t have that. The way we run the government is not a daily drama in my opinion. Focus on the big picture and put points on the board and I think that’s something that’s very important.