MELTDOWN: The DeSantis Campaign is Floundering As it Tries to Attack Donald Trump

As his presidential campaign continues plummeting at the polls, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has started lashing out against members of former President Donald Trump’s America First movement. 

In an interview with The Florida Standard, DeSantis described “MAGA Republicans” as “listless vessels”  that blindly follow Trump 

Many political experts previously viewed DeSantis as Trump’s principal rival to receive the party’s nomination. The Florida Governor gained national fame for opposing the Wuhan virus lockdowns.

However it appears that whatever progress DeSantis has made by opposing COVID-era lockdowns has largely evaporated. His spring poll numbers, which hovered around 30%, have dropped significantly to around 10% after several missteps on the campaign trail in addition to Trump gaining further support after being subjected to criminal indictments.   

During an interview prior to the first Republican debate on August 23, 2023,  DeSantis received questions about certain assertions made by Trump supporters that he was a “RINO” (Republican In Name Only)  who received support from the Bush and Cheney families that used to dominate Republican Party politics. 

“We have a strand in our party that views supporting Trump as whether you are a RINO or not,” the Florida governor responded. “You could be the most conservative person since sliced bread [but] unless you are kissing his rear end they will somehow call you a Rino.”

DeSantis continued: “The movement has got to be about what we are trying to achieve on behalf of the American people, and that’s got to be based on principle, because if you are not rooted in principle, if all you are is listless vessels that are just supposed to follow whatever happens to be coming down the pike on Truth Social every morning, that’s just not a durable movement.”

DeSantis proclaimed that “MAGA Republicans” ran the risk of being blind supporters of Donald Trump. 

The Trump campaign capitalized on these remarks, likening them to Hillary Clinton’s description of Trump supporters in 2016 in which she declared that “you could put half of Trump’s supporters into the basket of deplorables . . . racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it,” while the other half “feel that the government has let them down”.

Trump’s campaign promptly responded by creating “deplorables” T-shirts and hats for his fans. Jason Miller, a Trump campaign confidant, proclaimed that it “looks like Ron DeSanctimonious just had his ‘basket of deplorables’ moment”.

DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin believes that the media is guilty of ginning up controversy where it doesn’t really exist. He clarified that DeSantis was actually saying that “Donald Trump and some congressional endorsers were ‘listless vessels’ . . . because Trump and DC insiders feel he is entitled to your vote”.

All in all, the DeSantis campaign is a complete mess. At one point, DeSantis seemed like a Republican firebrand who was challenging party orthodoxy on a host of issues — ranging from immigration to defense policy. However, he has now morphed into a boring Republican politician that does not inspire the restless populist base of the party. 

If voters want America First policies to become a reality, they must ignore DeSantis and vote for Trump.

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