It Sure Seems Like POLITICO Thinks DeSantis Is Finished!

Ron DeSantis took a trip to Washington D.C. to speak with lawmakers, part of a larger national tour that appears to be a trial run for an upcoming presidential campaign. The headlines this morning, however, are all about how terrible a day it was for DeSantis.

POLITICO, for example, has three pieces out this morning on the subject.

All three of these stories make it a point to hit DeSantis because yesterday wasn’t a banner victory day. The declaration that he is in a “rut” seems particularly odd in the face of new polling that shows him outperforming Trump in 2024.

But, POLITICO seems absolutely certain that the Washington D.C. trip spells “D-O-O-M” for DeSantis.

Via the morning Playbook:

DONALD TRUMPS RON — It was supposed to be RON DeSANTIS’ big day on Capitol Hill. Yet DONALD TRUMP managed to overshadow him from almost 1,000 miles away.

In the 24 hours leading up to the Florida governor’s much-anticipated meeting with GOP lawmakers, two members from his own state — Reps. JOHN RUTHERFORD and GREG STEUBE — endorsed Trump. A third Floridian — Rep. BRIAN MAST, who was once considered close with DeSantis — told CNN’s Mel Zanona that he’ll soon follow suit.

And a few hours later, in a stone-cold act of political brutality, Rep. LANCE GOODEN (R-Texas) walked out of the DeSantis meeting and declared his support for Trump.

“It’s a killer!” said one positively giddy Trump confidant, who was on the phone with Playbook when news of Gooden’s surprise endorsement broke.

AP/Reuters Feed Library — AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File

A lot is being made of the fact that DeSantis didn’t score endorsements yesterday, so you’d be forgiven for thinking DeSantis was a declared candidate. In fact, he is not. That is probably the biggest reason most lawmakers aren’t making endorsements for DeSantis – there’s nothing to endorse yet.

But the Florida governor is clearly under attack from the Trump camp, which appears to have coordinated endorsements to coincide with DeSantis’ visit. But Trump is a former president and is still seen in some circles as the leader of the party. The fact that he doesn’t have more should be a bigger concern than picking up a couple of lawmakers in D.C.

Especially when lawmaker endorsements make very little difference in the long run.

We’re not even in 2024 yet. We aren’t close to a vital primary day. We don’t even have DeSantis as a declared candidate yet. The rush to declare DeSantis’ political career essentially over because he didn’t pick up a dozen lawmaker endorsements on Tuesday seems a bit absurd.

But, you have to remember that POLITICO is a news outlet that is “For D.C., By D.C.”. It is entirely focused on Washington gossip from a center-left perspective. And what does the left care about right now? The Rise (and Hopefully Fall!) of Ron DeSantis.

The left is absolutely terrified of him. Their worry is that he’s a smarter, more effective Trump. They would rather Trump stay in charge of the GOP because they know he’s beatable, and they are really worried that DeSantis simply resonates too well with the American public.