DeSantis was supposed to save the GOP from Trump, not endorse him | Opinion
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t save the Republican Party after all, or America for that matter.
Two days before the New Hampshire primary election, DeSantis suspended his campaign for president on Sunday.
As he exited, he endorsed former President Donald J. Trump. Of course, he had no choice. The Florida governor tried to sell voters the idea that he’s just like Trump, but more electable, more reasonable — but also more conservative. That didn’t work because, in the end, DeSantis’ brand wouldn’t exist without MAGA.
DeSantis’ departure from the Republican primary, which now leaves only Nikki Haley as a serious contender against Trump, marks the end of a political nosedive for our governor, once viewed as the strongest candidate who could end the Republican Party’s addiction to Trump.
He failed.
His trademark culture wars, anti-COVID vaccine stance and opposition to government-mandated school closures weren’t enough to persuade voters in other parts of the country to back him. With his presidential pitch gone, and Trump’s reemergence after his 91 criminal charges, DeSantis became a candidate without a cause.
It was clear he couldn’t survive much longer but DeSantis had vowed to stay in the race until Super Tuesday. His deflating 30-point loss to Trump in the Iowa caucuses last Monday had seemingly closed his path to the White House. And we all wondered: What was the point in staying in a losing race?
In the video his campaign released announcing his decision he fell in line with the party of Trump: “Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear.”
It’s not just that he was steamrolled by Donald Trump. DeSantis never appeared to want to save the GOP. He was more interested in making it a more ravenous, angrier and intolerant party. That worked for Trump, but didn’t work for the governor with all the charisma of burned toast.
DeSantis’ Florida Blueprint
So now DeSantis’ presidential campaign has ended. But the damage of the laws he has pushed through in Florida, as he landed more appearances on Fox News, will live on. Without his political ambitions, there likely wouldn’t be “Don’t say gay,” woke wars and the waste of state resources to fight meaningless battles against drag queen bars. These were efforts to appeal to Trump’s base but his supporters refused to leave the former president, especially after he was indicted.
DeSantis’ hard-right stances on issues like abortion and the Ukraine war — which he once called a “territorial dispute” before walking that comment back — alienated moderate voters. In the end, DeSantis became a candidate without a lane. What an outcome for a Florida governor who established himself as the dominant figure in state politics and who had the Legislature under his thumb. In the past two years, lawmakers have given DeSantis most of his priorities, often with little vetting, resulting in laws that are ambiguous and confusing, perhaps by design.
With his White House aspirations over — at least for now, because he could try again in 2028 — DeSantis returns to the Sunshine State to finish the final three years of his second term. In hindsight, it is now clear the young governor, who’s only 45, was a man in a hurry — too much of a hurry.
Glorified by the media as Trump’s heir apparent and buoyed by his legislative successes, DeSantis soon proved he wasn’t ready for prime time. He refused to engage with mainstream media, a strategy that worked for him as governor, until he felt forced to give more attention to outlets like CNN and network news. But that was too late.
There was also a barrage of negative news coverage of his imploding campaign, rumors about whether he wore hidden height boosters in his cowboy boots and, more than anything, his struggle to connect with voters.
DeSantis could have pitched a kinder form of conservatism or at least a more reasonable version. Instead, he banked on exploiting divisions in our country. As he bows out, DeSantis leaves the Republican Party exactly as he found it, under Trump’s dominance.
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This story was originally published January 21, 2024 at 5:13 PM.