“We’ll handle that.” The first thought that entered my mind after reading those three words was the 2016 Republican presidential primary season and Donald Trump‘s politics of personal destruction against the other 16 candidates in the race.
Welp, if Ron DeSantis runs in 2024, it looks like it’ll be business as usual for The Donald. While “Lyin’ Ted” and “Little Marco” won’t be there, “Ron DeSanctimonious” will.
During an interview with “The Water Cooler” host David Brody on RealAmerica’s Voice, Trump weighed in on the possibility of DeSantis entering the race and said if the popular Florida governor does, the former president said “We’ll handle that” while noting (warning) DeSantis’s entry would be handled in the manner he usually deals with things.
And Did Trump say anything about “laying out our cases, and letting the voters decide”? Not a word.
As I suggested in the opening paragraph and we reported in November, Trump apparently began to feel threatened by the spreading popularity of DeSantis, so he did what he always does: sophomorically called arguably the most popular governor in America “Ron DeSantimonious.”
As he’s done on previous occasions, Trump tried to take credit for DeSantis’s 2018 gubernatorial win in which he succeeded term-limited then-Republican Gov. Rick Scott. In 2022, while taking a break from attacking the governor less than 24 hours after the “Ron DeSanctimonious” blast, Trump finally endorsed DeSantis, ending months of speculation about whether he’d do so.
During the interview with Brody, Trump was at his Trumpian best:
I got him elected pure and simple … I hear he might run against me, so we’ll handle that the way I handle things.
Correction: If DeSantis does decide to enter the race, he’ll do so because he believes he has the best chance to retake the White House, vs. “running against” anyone. The “running against” part happens against the Democrat nominee in November 2024, Donald.
Trump: “I got [DeSantis] elected, pure and simple … Now I hear he might want to run against me, so we’ll handle that the way I handle things.”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 18, 2023
“We are on the eve of nothing less than a civil war in the Republican Party.”
The salient question is whether DeSantis will jump into the race. While the governor has remained mum on his plans, Trump lashes out at polls showing he’d lose to DeSantis if the Florida governor enters the race. GOP donor Dan Eberhart, a DeSantis backer, predicted a civil war within the Republican Party if DeSantis runs.
DeSantis is rising, and Trump is increasingly scared of being left for dead by the Republican Party. Trump is not going to let DeSantis grab his throne without a fight. We are on the eve of nothing less than a civil war in the Republican Party.
Is there any doubt? Meanwhile, the Democrat Party will be the sole beneficiary if such a war is fought.
Incidentally, as I’ve written multiple times in the past, I’ll vote for whoever wins the Republican nomination. That said, I hope —and will cross my fingers and toes — that the candidate who’s best able to retake the White House prevails.
Here’s the entire Trump interview with David Brody:
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