Ron DeSantis’s political backers are now expressing doubts about his potential candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, as a result of his recent run-ins with President Trump. Reports suggest that donors and supporters of DeSantis are beginning to question whether he should challenge Trump for the nomination or put off his ambitions until 2028.
CF reported,
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s donors and supporters are beginning to question if the potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate should run in the next election cycle — a bid that would put him against former President Donald Trump — or wait until 2028, according to reports.
According to a report from NBC News, donors and supporters of DeSantis are having second thoughts on the prospect of the governor’s potential presidential bid. Per the report, one main issue seems to be the governor’s ability to take Trump — who has been criticizing the governor for months — head on.
At an event in Palm Beach, Florida, a group of 16 prominent Republicans reportedly discussed their reservations about the governor’s prospects if he were to directly confront Trump. According to one attendee, their general sentiment was that it would be better for DeSantis to avoid such a conflict and instead wait until 2028.
“They liked him — many of them might even support him,” the person who was at the event said of DeSantis. “But they thought on balance that his long-term future was better without him trying to take Trump head on.”
“He will get scarred up” by Trump, the person added.
This opinion has been echoed by conservative billionaire Richard Uihlein and his wife Elizabeth – major financial backers of DeSantis’ 2022 gubernatorial campaign – who have voiced strong concerns over how difficult it would be for him to stand up against Trump’s formidable base of supporters.
These fears have been further compounded by DeSantis’ recent comments on Trump while he was facing possible legal action from a Soros-backed prosecutor in New York. After initially waiting two days before responding, DeSantis eventually made some disparaging remarks about the former president – which may have sealed his fate with many of his supporters and donors.
The moral of the story is this…while Ron DeSantis is great and would be a good president, we want Trump!