Re why DeSantis is running now, I think the responses are correct.
If Trump is knocked out, which I think he will be, DeSantis could have a shot, so I don’t think it’s absurd that he is running now. If Trump is not knocked out, I don’t see why he couldn’t get the VP nod, which I absolutely think he would accept. He can learn from the Evil Emperor himself and pray that his master dies in office; if he doesn’t, then he could run in 2028 (even if Trump doesn’t win, he could still run and have some additional campaign experience).
That said, even if Trump is knocked out, I don’t think DeSantis is going to do particularly well against the other GOP candidates, and even if he gets the nomination, he will look weak going into the general.
That’s an interesting thought. If DeSantis is (effectively) running to be Trump’s running mate this election, I think he might be playing his cards right. Given Trump’s health and legal woes and astounding ability to continue to generate coverage, that might actually be a better path to the presidency than running for president directly.
Also, in the past, being the 2nd place finisher in a nomination battle makes you the heir apparent for the next nomination battle 4 years later. Although it should be noted that that was then, and post 2016 all the old rules may no longer apply. In particular the nomination fight might get so down and dirty that whomever goes head to head against Trump finds themselves cast into the outer darkness never to be seen again in Republican circles. So it may be a case of if come at the king you better not miss.
But is it realistic that Trump would accept DeSantis as a running mate?
Typical politicians tend to understand that their ugly primary battles are “just politics”, or that there is oftentimes strategic value in letting past disputes go in order to join together for a bigger purpose (as to the former, I’m thinking about Bush joining on the Reagan ticket after accusing him of “voodoo economics”; as to the latter, I’m reminded of LBJ joining Jack Kennedy dispute his personal issues with the Kennedy family). But Trump isn’t like that - he holds grudges, and takes things personally, to the extent that he can get uglier and nastier than may even be warranted.
Meaning, I have a hard time believing that DeSantis would be considered a credible running mate, if only because it will be preceded by lots of mud slinging.
Now, Ron isn’t the biggest anti-Trumper; far from it. But it appears that his stance is more reflective of appeasing the voter base than currying favor with Donald himself. When it comes to Trump, Ron isn’t making efforts to sing his praises.
Once this next year is over, I just don’t see Donald accepting Ron into his personal orbit.
(Now, he may “entertain” the idea, just like he was supposedly considering Mitt Romney as his Secretary of State. But, as with Mitt, I anticipate that the end result will be Ron trying to make nice, perhaps even grovel, only to be unceremoniously turned down).
You make some good points, but, ultimately, I think yes. Reasons:
It ain’t gonna be Mike Pence–LOL!
Ron has mostly been gentle with Trump. He had pretty nice burn about ol’ Stormy (“I don’t know what goes into…”), but it was subtle. One reason that Ron has been pulling so many punches may be that he’s aiming for VP. If Trump gets knocked out, that strategy doesn’t hurt him but, to the contrary, avoids pissing off the MAGAs. Thus, Trump, at least thus far, doesn’t have much of a reason to be angry with Ron.
Don-Ron’s MAGA-ness seems complimentary. Two great flavors that go great together?! (If you love fascism butter cups…) Whereas Pence’s wimpo-christo-hypocritico smarm jelly really didn’t match Trump’s burnt authoritarian toast.
I don’t really see a reason why Trump would pass him over. Certainly, one would think Trump would have some advisors around him encouraging the pick (assuming things stay more or less the same).
Yeah, but you aren’t looking at it like a petulant man-baby. So long as Ron DeSantis is trying to breathe Trump’s maga air, Donnie is seeking to crush him. Somebody like Kerri Lake (female, so in Trump’s view a subordinate) would be a far more likely choice.
Perhaps you aren’t familiar with the pro Trump ad mocking Ronnie and the story about him eating pudding without a spoon. (It should be noted that Donnie is a noted germaphope, and would be most disgusted with a person who would do such a thing).
He also has adopted the cutting nickname (Ron DeSanctimonius, which he now abbreviates as Ron DeSanctus) and is on to the mean tweets (or whatever his truth social drivel is called)
Well yeah, Don can crush Ron, but Ron can’t crush Don. I speculate that, so long as Ron doesn’t try to punch back too hard, then Don can forgive Ron. (I could be wrong, however. Perhaps only a 100% underbelly-presenting lapdog like Pence would be acceptable to Trump.)
I think this is plausible too.
I saw it! LOL. See, this is one reason why DeSantis isn’t going to win the nomination, even if Trump drops out. Trump will have done so much damage to the poor bastard that even the other L’s, who would otherwise seem weaker than DeSantis, will look good by comparison.
It’s not one of Trump’s better insults. DeSantis doesn’t strike me as being particularly sanctimonious. That would be a proper adjective for Pence, right?
Oh yeah, he said, “Maybe a man?” That was a pretty good Trumpian insult.
There’s also this: While there’s no overall prohibition against both candidates on one ticket being from the same state, “Electors cannot vote for a Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate who both hail from an elector’s home state. For instance, if both candidates come from New York, New York’s electors may vote for one of the candidates, but not both. In this hypothetical scenario, however, Delaware’s electors may vote for both New York candidates.”
Given Florida’s large number of electoral votes, I can’t see the GOP taking any chances of losing what might be a close election.
Beats me if he is. Don’t care either way, really. But it would be amusing if (a) Ron D did wind up the VP candidate for Trump and (b) they lost the election on the Electoral College issue.
A malignant narcissist like Trump is literally incapable of forgiveness. He remembers every insult, every miniscule slight, in his great balance sheet of enemies versus useful tools. No friendships — he doesn’t know the meaning of the word — only utilitarian alliances. Nothing is ever forgiven, not the way a normal functional human understands it. His psychology is truly alien.
To keep it on the subject of DeSantis: if he thinks he’s soft-pedaling the attacks on Trump to keep himself politically viable, he’s a fool. He will never be anything to Trump but an insect. He needs to defeat Trump outright, because he has no place in that potential future administration.
I think you are basically correct, but Trump has clearly “forgiven” people who have said things against him, such as Lindsey Graham and other Republicans who later became boot-licking sycophants. So I think it’s conceivable that Ron could be forgiven for what he has said thus far. If he goes much further, however…
I think Trump, especially if he is pushed by his advisors and perceives it to be useful to himself (i.e., could help him win), could hire DeSantis to perform the insectoid job of VP.
OTOH, perhaps even at this early date, Trump has an intense personal hatred for DeSantis and would never consider him. I never expect Trump to be rational or predictable.
If DeSantis thinks of him the same way, he’ll never angle for the position of Trump’s VP. Since there’s no way to know how the man will chose, what’s the point of trying to curry favor with him in exchange for not running in the Republican primary? It’s not like having Donald Trump’s sworn oath on the subject will be worth the paper it’s not printed on…
There wouldn’t be such an exchange. DeSantis would run against Trump, fail but still demonstrate he can deliver something to the ticket, and be selected on that basis.
I don’t think there’s anything Ron DeSantis can demonstrate by running that someone else who didn’t run (and defy Trump by doing so) could demonstrate.
And that someone else would have the advantage (for Trump) of being a bootlicker from day one.
The best DeSantis could get from Trump, having been beaten by him in the primary, is a dinner for the purpose of humiliation, a la Mitt Romney.