Donald Trump vs. Ron DeSantis, disloyalty edition

Right now, Donald Trump is the only declared presidential candidate in either party. Apparently, he misses a crowded field because he's already sniping at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Yesterday, he talked with CNN and Politico. In that interview, Trump "lashed out against Florida governor Ron DeSantis and called him 'disloyal' as the governor weighs whether to run for the 2024 Republican nomination against his former political benefactor."

That isn't close to the truth. The definition of disloyal is "false to one's obligations or allegiances; not loyal; faithless; treacherous." What obligation does Gov. DeSantis have to President Trump in terms of not running for president? I'd argue that Gov. DeSantis doesn't have any obligations to President Trump, or anyone else, about running for president or any office.

Trump also said that DeSantis wouldn't be Florida's governor if not for Trump's endorsement. That's quite possibly true but it's definitely irrelevant. If Gov. DeSantis runs for president, he'll have to run on his record. Like Trump, DeSantis has a lengthy list of impressive accomplishments.

Republicans feel great going into this presidential election cycle because a) they get to run against serial plagiarist Joe Biden and because they've got 2 top-tier presidential candidates in Trump and DeSantis.

The more he talks away from the rallies, the more President Trump sounds like he should be coronated the next GOP presidential nominee. That isn't how this should work. When asked, what will Trump say about his accomplishments in supporting parents in their fight against school board? The Florida school board revolution was all about Gov. DeSantis. It's also Gov. DeSantis who took on Woke Inc.:

The Florida school board fight is a big thing, especially in winning the suburban vote and the female vote. In his 2 presidential runs, Trump lost both of those cohorts. In 2022, DeSantis won both cohorts, then won the Hispanic vote outright in Florida.

In addition, Mr Trump criticised Mr DeSantis for his record during the Covid pandemic. Mr DeSantis received plaudits from Republicans across the country for reopening Florida earlier than most other states, even though he did close the state briefly.
Here's the truth:
In March 2020, the Florida governor issued an executive order closing bars and nightclubs, urging people to follow US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to limit gatherings on beaches to no more than 10 people. By that September, DeSantis signed an order clearing restaurants and bars to fully open, which drew criticism from public health officials due to the Covid-19 spike that fall.
There's no question that Gov. DeSantis didn't pay attention to 'the experts', especially Dr. Fauci. Likewise, there's no question whether Florida did an excellent job in protecting the at-risk communities from COVID. If Trump wants to challenge Gov. DeSantis on that issue, he'd better bring a big lunch box because Trump will be there a while for that fight.

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