Are Never Trumpers Rooting for Trump Against DeSantis?

The factional rivalry of the coming Republican primary.

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Former President Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at Mar-a-Lago. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

I endorse Ron DeSantis for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

He’s not my first choice. I tend not to support politicians who abuse state power to discriminate on the basis of political viewpoint. I’d prefer Brian Kemp. Or Glenn Youngkin. Or Chris Sununu. In fact, put the names of a bunch of normie conservative politicians in a hat and draw one at random. I’d rather be governed by that person than by DeSantis.

But I’m a realist. There’s only one Republican in the country who stands a plausible chance of defeating Donald Trump. And it ain’t Brian Kemp, alas.

Here’s my official DeSantis endorsement. I’ll vote for him in a primary against Trump. I’ll throw him a few bucks to help his campaign. If not for the fact that I’m shy and unsociable, I’d go knock doors for him.

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    You’re grudgingly back in my good graces, Nick.

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    Reed Benet

    Must admit. Rejoicing that the most likely outcome of this election is that Trump will finally go to prison, hopefully serving consecutive sentences. Karma, even long time coming, or even better when so, is a bitch. As for all the utilitarian, self-interested, vindictive, morally challenged, fearful, blind/deaf, purposefully so, what-about-ists, bullying, rude, authoritarian dupes, unloving, unrespectful, uncompromising, etc. minimal to vociferous Trump enablers, which unfortunately seem to encompass at least 40% of the electorate…

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    Julie from Texas

    This argument makes some sense, but it doesn't seem to consider those outside the Republican party who have voted and would vote for a GOP candidate but have decidedly stayed away while the GOP continues to promote crazy, and sometimes violent, rhetoric. These are the independents that either party needs to win a presidential election, and you won't get 'em with someone like DeSantis. At least, if he continues to adopt a Trumpist style of lie and attack.

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    This comment has been deleted

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    Bill Dyer (aka Beldar)

    It's not even Thanksgiving. It is, just barely, time to conclude with some degree of confidence that Trump's chances for the 2024 GOP nomination have been badly hurt. It is nowhere close to time to conclude that there's a single, monolithic, impregnable steamroller who's going to sweep to the GOP nomination instead — much less that said steamroller is a popular Florida governor who's never been on a ballot of any sort at any level outside his home state.

    Why, was just asking former GOP nominee Jeb Bush about this the other day, and he said fortune tellers have really bad accuracy records. Considerable though my regard for Mr. Catoggio — who continues to ignore my question about whether he still considers Trump the "leader of the GOP" — this prediction and most of a $10 bill will get me a lovely Pumpkin Spice Crème at Starbucks.

    It's not nonsense. But pretending it's anything other than a wild guess at this point IS nonsense.

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  6. Wes.Bridges

    A house divided against itself, etc., etc.

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  7. Wakernan

    You just had to end with an arrogant and self-absorbed curse of ideological kin of a different temperament. Here's a swing thought for you: seeking to reconcile is always more productive than being divisive. " Blessed are the peacemakers."

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    1. Joshua.Ruth.Barron

      Of course, real reconciliation is only possible when those in the wrong admit that they are (or were) in fact in the wrong.

      There're some pretty harsh words about those who say "peace! peace! when there is no peace."

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  8. Mwupton

    I largely agree, even though it's unfortunate is that the things I like least about DeSantis (see Disney and Stop WOKE Act), are the things that make him viable to pull in the trumpy base. But I have the strong suspicion that the culture war parts of DeSantis, while getting the largest national coverage, is not what dominates most of his time and attention. From his quick pivot from cultish Trump devotion in his 2018 primary to the way he composed himself in after his recent re-election--immediately focusing back on Florida governance--at least tells me he may be a bit cynical about the MAGA schtick.

    I can live with that.

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      Stephanie

      So it's "Will the real Ron DeSantis please stand up" time.

      What was the whole point of his cultish Trump devotion (I think of the commercial with his little kid building the wall); his aping Trump's gestures and mannerisms; and the Disney gambit; targeting LGBT kids and encouraging nutty parents to sue school districts if some teacher permits a kid to tell the class about their 2 fathers/mothers; the policy of imposing ideology vetting on university staff and students in order to defund universities that don't espouse "conservative" propaganda; the Martha's Vineyard stunt?

      If all that was just political theater, and the real Ron DeSantis is a Larry Hogan inside, waiting for MAGA populism to die away, so he can rip off his Superman uniform and be Clark Kent . . .

      No, the whole idea is just absurd.

      The guy's been building an authoritarian-populist-mini-MAGA brand all his own.

      The troubling thing is that it's all based on getting people to hate and fear other people who are different or who don't agree with them. I don't think it can have any good outcome. We don't need more divisiveness in this country!

      I'd love to see some proof that he's not the bully he's shaping up to be.

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  9. CB76

    "If he’s this frantic and disjointed already about the possibility of “his people” abandoning him for DeSantis, imagine the sort of spectacular, ferociously nasty public nervous breakdown to which we’ll be treated in the months to come."

    He's going to make the primary race a goddamn circus and any other candidate in the ring with him will look like a wimp or a fool. Good times.

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      Stephanie

      This is why I don't think Ron DeSantis will run. As much as he's tried to imitate Trump, he doesn't have the recipe for the secret sauce. Trump seems to be able to always land on his feet.

      It might not matter how much the party elites (NR, Dispatch, or Bulwark) might hype him. How much influence do they have on the MAGA base?

      The 40% MAGA base won't vote for him, if Trump tells them not to. And Democrats won't cross over for someone with his so-far toxic brand. He's just another kind of nasty unpleasant person like Trump, and he's gone after LGBT people.

      2028 is a different story.

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  10. Pishposh

    DeSantis has a lot to prove to me before I'll be willing to consider him. I'll never vote for Trump, but DeSantis... Right now, every time I've hear his name its in relation to being a dyed in the wool culture warrior. I could easily vote for a free market, good governance Republican in the vein of Eisenhower. If he's just another anti-gay, pro christian nationalist (Trump, but more presentable)... count me out.

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