Since I haven’t yet gotten sick of the Trump vs. DeSantis feud, I decided I would take a closer look at both potential candidates to ascertain which might be the more favorable candidate to put up against Democrats in 2024. In this piece, I’m starting with the former president.

Trump is expected to announce that he is running on Tuesday, while Gov. DeSantis has not yet indicated whether he intends to throw his hat into the ring. But, there appears to be growing sentiment on the right that the governor might be the better candidate to face Democrats in 2024.

Still, there are many among the conservative base who wishes to stick with Trump. The ones who aren’t busy pushing false narratives about DeSantis being an establishment shill have put forth some compelling arguments for giving the former president another go at the Oval Office.

One of the former president’s greatest strengths is his willingness to get into the mud with the Democrats and their comrades in the activist media. It is one of the things that endeared him to Republican voters in the first place. We know that he will not back down from a fight and will continue making folks on the left wet their pants. It is a trait that has been severely lacking in the pre-Trump GOP.

Also, after having been targeted by the deep state during his presidency, Trump might be more motivated than DeSantis to do what he promised: Drain the swamp. Even the former president indicated he was not aware of how widespread the corruption in Washington has become. But now, he seems fully aware of what the establishment on both sides of the aisle is capable of. To put it simply, the man wants revenge, and there can be no doubt he would move aggressively against these forces.

Additionally, Trump has shown that he can energize the base. Even the people who would prefer DeSantis would have no problem pulling the lever for him in the general election. He still maintains a significant level of favorability and influence on the right and can motivate conservative voters to turn out at the polls.

Lastly, although it might sound counterintuitive, the fact that he is being targeted by the Justice Department and FBI could work in his favor. When agents served a search warrant at his home in Mar a Lago, folks on the right viewed it as a politically-motivated effort to weaponize the federal government against him. It can be expected that these efforts will continue now that the midterm elections have concluded.

Now that we’ve established the pros, it’s time for the cons. Interestingly enough, when it comes to Trump, some of his strengths are also his greatest weaknesses. His penchant for engaging in rhetorical donnybrooks with his enemies has also worked against him. He is often impulsive with the feuds in which he chooses to engage, meaning that he will pick fights that he doesn’t need to.

This behavior has often given Democrats and members of the activist media ammo to use against him. Even now, his attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin have gotten him in trouble with the base. For all of his strengths, Trump remains the human embodiment of a hammer in search of nails – or Paul Pelosi’s head.

Too soon?

Another potential drawback could be his constant focus on the 2020 presidential election. Regardless of what one thinks of the outcome of his battle against Biden, continuing to keep the conversation focused on the past is not going to bode well for his future. With the exception of the most loyal members of his base, people wish to move on and look toward 2024 – especially after the Republicans’ poor performance in the midterm elections.

Right-leaning voters want someone who is going to address the problems they are facing today. They want a presidential nominee who understands their concerns and has a plan to deal with them. Indeed, this is how Trump won in 2016. He listened to what voters were saying and crafted a messaging strategy designed to address their deepest worries. Right now, 2020 is not the issue on everyone’s minds. If Trump wants to occupy the White House again, he will have to focus more on the future than on the past.

Another potential pitfall is the fact that Trump is a polarizing figure. As I stated earlier, he inspires adoration from folks on the right and has shown he can energize the base. But he can also energize the folks who think he is the second coming of Hitler as well.

A Trump candidacy would inspire everyone to come to the polls – both Republicans and Democrats. It is what happened in 2020. There will be many who show up to vote against him – especially after the activist media whips the left into a frenzied hysteria about the Orange Man What Is Bad™. His ability to elicit strong emotions could be a double-edged sword.

Lastly, the FBI investigations that I mentioned previously could easily tank Trump’s candidacy instead of benefiting it. The Bureau has already shown it is functioning as a political weapon against the former president and his associates. For the investigation to help Trump’s chances, the agents who served the warrant would have had to have found nothing in those documents that rises above the level of Hillary’s emails. If they failed to produce evidence that the former president committed a serious crime, their machinations will almost certainly backfire.

On the other hand, if it turns out agents found evidence of a serious crime, it could spell trouble for the former president. The Justice Department is just itching to indict him on something, anything that would tank his chances of running a successful campaign. If the offense is serious enough, it might cause voters to choose a “safer” candidate.

Nevertheless, it is still too early to see how this whole thing will shake out. But these are some of the factors that voters will consider when choosing which leader they believe would fare better in the general election.