TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As former President Donald Trump prepares a likely 2024 presidential campaign announcement, his perceived top Republican competitor, Governor Ron DeSantis, is taking an unusual path to deal with Trump's attacks...silence.
Governor DeSantis hasn't retaliated against Trump's recent attacks and has deferred on any possible interest in running for president. And while he has largely remained silent on the issue of Trump, some conservatives are pushing DeSantis for president hard ahead of Trump's Tuesday evening announcement.
And depending on who and what day polling is done, either Trump or DeSantis could be leading a theoretical GOP primary fight.
Tuesday morning, a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll showed 47 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters said they would back Trump if a Republican presidential primary were held today, compared to 33 percent for Governor DeSantis.
While that would be good news for Trump's potential campaign, the poll also showed a perilous path ahead. According to the poll, 65 percent of all voters said Trump should probably or definitely not run again for president.
Additionally, Trump may not have the backing of the Murdoch media empire. According to the UK Guardian, Rupert Murdoch's company, News Corp (which includes Fox News, the New York Post, and Wall Street Journal) has told Trump the media group won't support another presidential run.
On the flip side, POLITICO reported Monday that the conservative Club for Growth has polling showing Trump trailing DeSantis by double-digits in one-on-one matchups in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to hold 2024 primaries.
A separate survey by the Texas Republican Party gives a theoretical DeSantis campaign a 43-32 percent advantage over Trump in the key red state. Another YouGov poll of Republicans gave Desantis a slim lead, 41% to 39%, in a hypothetical GOP presidential primary.
DeSantis has plenty to lose if he chooses to go head-to-head with Trump. He could lose the primary race to Trump, and that could cost him his place near the top of the Republican Party. He could also beat Trump in a tough primary but then lose Trump's supporters, who may not accept DeSantis.
Trump has nothing left to lose by declaring his candidacy early. He still commands a large amount of support among the most conservative Republicans, even with many of his candidates losing in the midterm election.
But he's also battling history. Only once in the nearly 250 years since the United States was established has a president won two non-consecutive terms, Grover Cleveland (1885-1889; 1893-1897).
He's also facing the possibility of indictment by the U.S. Government and the State of Georgia while his business is fighting the State of New York.
The battle may seem convoluted, but it may not end up that way. Until Trump and DeSantis officially make their plans known, it's all a hypothetical exercise.
