The war of words between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis continues to escalate, all as some of the biggest names in the GOP pick sides ahead of an anticipated intraparty slugfest for the next year that could spawn a new MAGA era.
DeSantis, 44, bragged that he “broke” Twitter Spaces when he made his official entrance into the 2024 presidential race in front of a large online audience on Wednesday, culminating many months of speculation whether he would launch a campaign and challenge the former president. He shared an optimistic forward-looking approach, saying that candidates “must end the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years.”
Trump, the 76-year-old GOP front-runner according to virtually every poll conducted prior to DeSantis’ official entry, attacked the Florida governor for weeks and has continued the attacks, claiming that his foe’s campaign launch was “disastrous” while adding that his state’s COVID-era policies paled in comparison to those enacted by New York and former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo.
DeSantis, who has been encouraged by some Republican strategists to take the proverbial gloves off and counter some of Trump’s rhetoric, did that just on Thursday by saying the Trump camp is fixated on his candidacy because it views him as the biggest political threat.
“Who is going to be the leader to be able to win the election, like we did in Florida, and get in to implement the type of policies that are going to get the country back on track?” DeSantis told Good Morning NH on Thursday. “I think a lot of what he’s doing is showing everybody that he understands that I’ve got a good chance to beat him.
“Because he doesn’t criticize anybody else now, it’s only me. They wouldn’t do that if they didn’t think that I had a chance, because I think they realize I am offering folks a record of achievement that’s second to none. They know that I’m more likely to win the election.”
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Trump continues to use his Truth Social platform to campaign, writing Thursday that “Ron DeSanctimonious had ZERO CHANCE of winning the Republican primary for governor of Florida before a man named President Donald J. Trump endorsed him!” Trump also posted an Emerson College poll showing him 42 percentage points ahead of DeSantis in the Iowa Caucuses.
Steve Bannon, a key voice in conservative media and a former White House adviser in the Trump administration, supports his former boss for another presidential term.
Bannon piled on DeSantis’ Twitter appearance, which was delayed due to technical difficulties, calling it a “clown show.” Bannon also said that DeSantis is “a little on the [autism] spectrum,” which is a sentiment shared by outspoken far-right activist Laura Loomer and other Trump supporters.
Trump supporter Liz Harrington and DeSantis aide Christina Pushaw have gone back and forth on Twitter, calling out the other’s preferred candidate.
GOP Representative Thomas Massie called out Trump on Twitter for his association with Dr. Anthony Fauci, harkening to policies implemented at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shift From Culture Wars to Economics
“It’s no holds barred from here on out because the stakes are so high and time is short, so it’ll be interesting to contrast the styles of each other,” said Susan MacManus, distinguished professor emeritus at the University of South Florida. “We know what Trump’s style looks like, but will DeSantis’ be somewhat more subtle but direct?
“We really don’t have a good idea yet, but it’s obviously the case that they’re the two leading candidates at this point and everybody’s gonna be focused on it. January is not that far away.”
MacManus told Newsweek the battle will be a long slog that will go beyond the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary, expected to reach some type of resolution by next summer.
While some strategists have encouraged DeSantis to lean into culture war issues, like his battle with Disney or touting Florida’s six-week “heartbeat” abortion legislation, MacManus believes the governor needs to start pivoting more toward a national economic agenda.
“Right now the country is more interested in that,” she said. “If you look at the polls on Biden, that’s one of his shortcomings—his handling of the economy. And things are still not great with people….I think DeSantis needs to talk more about the economy, the big tax cut bill that he just got through the legislature—tangible evidence as of how he’s handled economic issues.”
Tom Zawistowski, president of the Tea Party-affiliated We the People Convention (WTPC), believes the first few caucuses and primaries will determine the GOP standard bearer.
Zawistowski, who led the Tea Party in his home state of Ohio, told Newsweek that his organization is promoting a “unity” ticket with Trump as president and DeSantis as his vice president. WTPC even took out a full-page ad in Monday’s Miami Herald touting the idea.
“I’m looking at from our standpoint and our viewpoint versus the media, and the political consultants in the party and all those kinds of people,” he said. “It surprises me that people like say, ‘Oh, DeSantis would never be Trump’s vice president because he’s been so nasty to him, said all these nasty things.’ Look at history. I mean, [Hubert] Humphrey hated LBJ [Lyndon Baines Johnson]. [Ronald] Reagan and [George H.W.] Bush hated each other. That doesn’t mean you can’t get together.
“And it’s real clear for Donald Trump. This is a game, it’s nothing personal. Look what he did to Ted Cruz. Look what he did to [Mitt] Romney, then went to campaign for Romney and helped him win a Senate seat. So, it’s just amazing to me that anyone would think Trump really believes this. It’s a show. That’s how he fights.”
He went on to call DeSantis “probably the most qualified person to be president that maybe ever lived,” and likely the only conservative who’s done more for the cause than Trump.