Let the game begin — in earnest.

And by “in earnest,” I’m not talking about a professional boxing match. Before this one is over, it’s going to be a bare-knuckle brawl to the finish: winner takes all; loser goes home.

According to multiple credible sources, an announcement that has been anticipated by some, speculated on by others, and chiseled into stone by Donald Trump, will come next week (as I write): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to file paperwork declaring his 2024 presidential candidacy on May 25 to coincide with a donor meeting in Miami, with a more formal launch the week of May 29.

Well, now.

Various Republican donors, as well as DeSantis advisors, have urged the popular governor to not only respond to former President Trump’s personal attacks but to also rebut claims Trump has made about the state of Florida under DeSantis’ leadership.

Trump’s attacks strike some (including yours truly), as odd, given that DeSantis was re-elected by a historic margin in 2022, and also enjoys a super-majority in the Florida Republican State Legislature — all of which would be rare indeed if “DeSantimonious” was as terrible at his job and the former president attempts to portray him.

As reported by Reuters, an invitation for the May 25 event said donors would be put to “work,” an apparent allusion to raising money for DeSantis, according to a source familiar with the event. “Following the briefing, the fun begins!” reads an invitation obtained by Bloomberg News. “All guests are encouraged to stay and work with the Team through the night of the 25th … Casual attire and jeans encouraged!”

DeSantis has been pitching himself as a younger, more vibrant option in contrast to 76-year-old Trump, and a steadier choice, without the ever-growing, historic legal dramas plaguing the former president.

Here’s more, via Reuters:

Republican lawmakers gave DeSantis a bevy of conservative victories in recent months: They expanded the state’s school voucher program, prohibited the use of public money in sustainable investing efforts, scrapped diversity programs at public universities, allowed for the permitless carry of concealed weapons, and perhaps most notably, banned almost all abortions in the state.

DeSantis has had help in readying the ground for his candidacy. A new political action committee supporting him, Never Back Down, which can raise unlimited funds, has been hiring staff in early-voting states and running TV ads championing DeSantis and knocking Trump.

To date, DeSantis has stuck to a more indirect response to Trump’s attacks. As we reported in early April, the governor gave a rousing speech in Michigan and told it like it is, as he sees it: “Republicans have developed a culture of losing,” while “Florida has a culture of winning.”

In Florida, we have a culture of winning, we have a culture of execution, and we have a culture of delivering results. And you need to be able to win. It’s not easy. When you stand for the right things in this day and age, man, you are going to have a lot of blowback. Leadership isn’t cost-free.

You got to have the courage of your convictions. And you got to understand that whether it’s a governor, whether it’s a mother going into a school board meeting to protest some of the insanity, they’re gonna come at you, and you’re gonna have to make some sacrifices.

But you know, I think it’s worth making those sacrifices — lord knows people have made much bigger sacrifices in the history of our country so that we could be free.

Again, it’s past time to take the gloves off and let the brawl begin. Oh, and popcorn. We’re going to need lots of popcorn.

💯 DESANTIS: “What I see around the country with Republicans is they’ve started to develop a culture of LOSING…In Florida, we have a culture of WINNING. We have a culture of EXECUTION and we have a culture of DELIVERING RESULTS.” pic.twitter.com/Iqp4ENGlPq

— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) April 6, 2023

While federal election laws require DeSantis to announce he’s running before contributions can be solicited, a new super PAC, Never Back Down, can raise unlimited funds and has been hiring staff in early-voting states, running TV ads championing DeSantis’ successes, and returning fire at Trump.

The Bottom Line

To be sure, the personal contrasts between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis could not be more obvious.

While both guys give no quarter and take zero crap from the left-wing media, Trump is incapable of stopping his never-ending unforced errors, while DeSantis — so far — has taken a more disciplined, fact-driven tack with both political opponents and liberal media sock puppets, alike. Toss in Trump’s continuing legal dramas — regardless of what you think of them — and simply put, Governor DeSantis lacks Trump’s baggage.

Final word: regardless of who you support in 2024, to suggest that Ron DeSantis is an “average Republican governor,” or that Florida “continues to tumble into complete delinquency and destruction” is desperate foolishness.