March 22, 2023

Visit Facebook, Truth Social, and other social media sites and, overall, there is respectful chatter between Trump and DeSantis supporters. Both camps are filled with America First patriots who earnestly believe that their guy is America’s only chance at saving the country from Joe “Big Guy” Biden and the Marxist-leaning Democrat party. While the jockeying between and the prospects of both men in a 2024 presidential campaign are fascinating, without election integrity, none of that will matter.

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It’s still very early in the cycle, but my guess is that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will not run for president. Many voters do not like a governor who was just re-elected walking away from the job, especially when the election was a few months before the announcement.

In Florida, officeholders running for federal office must resign their position. It’s being reported that the legislature is quietly preparing to change the law. Although Florida Statute 99.012 has wiggle room, having it changed solely to benefit DeSantis would be seen by many as an unethical perversion of legislative power. Should DeSantis resign, Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez would become governor. Those relocating to Florida primarily because of how DeSantis runs the Sunshine state should start researching Nunez.

Image: Trump and DeSantis. Public domain images.

There’s also too much risk of DeSantis being branded a loser.

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Unfair or not, some believe Trump has the taint of a loser, although most supporters believe the 2020 election was stolen from him. Still, win or lose in 2024, that would be Donald Trump’s final political campaign. To many (and history), he will always remain one of America’s best presidents.

However, 2024 would probably not be DeSantis’ final political campaign. He’ll have a problem, though. If he runs in the primary and doesn’t win the nomination, he has “loser” on his resume. Should he win the nomination but lose the 2024 election, “loser” becomes his brand. Is that something a 44-year-old politician wants when right now he is seen as a knight in shining armor, beloved by many?

Let’s not forget that DeSantis needs Trump supporters to win. If he runs in 2024, it will anger MAGAs, many of whom would then refuse to support DeSantis four years later.

DeSantis is having a blast being heralded as America’s best governor. He draws “yuuuge” crowds around the country, where his speeches highlight his many successes. He also enjoys gleefully chastising progressive mayors and governors, especially California’s Governor Gavin “Hair Gel” Newsom, all while selling his autobiography, The Courage to Be Free.

Wherever DeSantis goes, the news media hangs onto his every word for signs of “will he or won’t he run?”

Privately, DeSantis probably doesn’t want Trump arrested and perp-walked in handcuffs. If arrested, Trump immediately surges to a solid first place when he says “not guilty” in Manhattan Criminal Court to face charges alleging under-the-table money paid to a porn star. As Robert Spencer explained in “It Looks as if Trump Will be Arrested Next Week, and That’s Not Even the Worst of It,”