I suggested in a Friday morning article that now that Ron DeSantis has officially announced his 2024 White House run, he’ll do battle with Donald Trump armed with facts, while Trump will continue his personal attacks.
This article serves as a perfect example. Trump issued a statement on Thursday under the headline:
Ron DeSantis Voted For The Exact DACA Bill Over Which He Is Now Attacking President Trump
DACA is the acronym for the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program established by the Obama Administration — which the Democrats have pushed from the beginning, believing that an overwhelming number of illegal aliens, if ultimately given the right to vote, will vote Democrat.
Anyway, Trump staffer Liz Harrington tweeted out Trump’s statement, parroting his claim.
Ron DeSantis Voted For The Exact DACA Bill Over Which He Is Now Attacking President Trump pic.twitter.com/r6CFdjQjjl
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) May 26, 2023
Just one problem: The claim is, according to House Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, “demonstrably false.”
This is demonstrably false. I will have more to say about this later – but suffice it to say, the border/immigration legislation failure of 2018 was decidedly reflective of the Trump admin siding with Paul Ryan and GOP squishes while @RonDeSantis sided with conservatives. Fact.
Oops.
This is demonstrably false. I will have more to say about this later – but suffice it to say, the border/immigration legislation failure of 2018 was decidedly reflective of the Trump admin siding with Paul Ryan and GOP squishes while @RonDeSantis sided with conservatives. Fact. https://t.co/PLzAqikSEJ
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) May 26, 2023
Never Back Down, the DeSantis super PAC quickly jumped on the false statement, as well:
False. The bills were not “nearly identical,” as the Trump campaign claims.
DeSantis voted for the conservative bill (on the left) which did not have a path to citizenship.
DeSantis voted against the Paul Ryan bill (on the right) that did include a path to citizenship.
Trump endorsed them both.
Oops, again.
— MikesRight (@RealLibSmacker) May 26, 2023
DeSantis also responded to the attack during an interview with Newsmax host Eric Bolling, which was tweeted by the DeSantis War Room.
DESANTIS on Trump attacking him for fighting Disney and voting against amnesty:
“He’s attacking me from the left. That really wasn’t the Donald Trump from 2015 and 2016.”
DeSantis’ point: Trumpism, unlike conservatism, is whatever suits Trump’s fancy at any given time.
DESANTIS on Trump attacking him for fighting Disney and voting against amnesty:
“He’s attacking me from the left. That really wasn’t the Donald Trump from 2015 and 2016.” pic.twitter.com/IBhMFwsPPa
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) May 26, 2023
It might be a good idea for Trump and his team to figure out promptly that, unlike in 2016 GOP primaries, Ron DeSantis is no “Low Energy Jeb” or “Little Marco” — the Florida governor is in it to win it.
Incidentally, I voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 — not as a moral compass, but because I preferred any Republican over Hillary Clinton. The former president mostly validated my vote, other than his final year in office.
And if Trump is the Republican nominee in 2024, I’ll vote for him again. But simply — and strongly — I don’t believe he has the best chance to defeat Biden or any other Democrat nominee.
The Bottom Line
While Donald Trump and his most loyal followers have long claimed he can do no wrong, it’s clear that the former president better step us his game against Ron DeSantis.
While he’s boasting about how far ahead of DeSantis he is in Republican-only polls — setting aside the fact that not a single Republican primary has yet been held — he’s going to need the support of a substantial percentage of independent voters and fence-sitters, versus simply relying on the votes of rabid fans who attend Trumpaloozas and engage in keyboard-jockey arguments on Facebook, if he’s to win in 2024.
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