Free Republic

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida all but declared his presidential candidacy on Thursday afternoon, telling donors and supporters on a call that only three “credible” candidates were in the race and that only he would be able to win both the Republican primary and the general election. “You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing,” Mr. DeSantis told donors on the call, organized by the super PAC supporting him, Never Back Down. “Biden, Trump and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is notorious for running a top-down operation, consulting on key matters with only a small, select group, including his wife. But as he tries to launch a presidential campaign amid weeks of bad headlines, flagging poll numbers and donors’ threatening to jump ship, his campaign-in-waiting is acknowledging that the closed-off practice isn’t working so well. Behind the scenes, aides are reassuring supporters that DeSantis’ circle of advisers is expanding to add more operatives with presidential campaign experience — and that DeSantis is listening to them, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter. “Before,...

The rise & fall of Rob DeSantis #Trump2024 #TheDilleyShow pic.twitter.com/3zXkqUFLED— miguelifornia (@miguelifornia) March 26, 2023

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump .3h Rob DeSanctimonious and his poll numbers are dropping like a rock - I would almost be inclined to say, these are record “falls.” The question: Is “Rob” just young, inexperienced and naive or, more troubling, is he a fool who has no idea what he is doing. We already have one of those in office, we don’t need another one. MAGA! May 14, 2023, 10:38 AM

Ron DeSantis always makes a big deal about signing all of the Florida laws that stem from new legislation the people behind his administration submit from his office. However, when he signed the new law that sealed all his travel records [Previously Discussed Here], he did so quietly. .... Snip.... Ron DeSantis ’24 is 100%, guaranteed to be an absolute construct of the billionaires, multinationals, and hedge fund managers who must stop Donald Trump and the America First platform. Look backward at the professional Republican outcomes in 2018, 2020 and 2022 to see the background of what this is all...

The SuperPac supporting Ron DeSantis called Never Back Down, has taken hundreds of millions of dollars from the Wall Street, billionaire, Sea Island, multinational corporation and hedge fund donors. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is injecting another $85 million from his leadership pac in Florida. All told it is the largest single assembly of political cash in the history of presidential campaigning, estimated value well north of $500 million.With all of that in mind, this is the best the communications team can come up with:Now, please do not misconstrue what I am saying. I am not saying these people are just...

CNN and the fake news legacy media were not the only losers last night. President Trump agreed to appear at a CNN town hall in New Hampshire on Wednesday night that turned into a lopsided debate win over CNN host Kaitlan Collins. Trump gave Kaitlan a thorough thrashing. But CNN was not the only loser last night. The DeSantis team posted comments following the debate where they revealed their support for the Democrats and administrative state. The DeSantis team came out in support of” ** politically motivated prosecutions ** FBI-DOJ interference in elections ** lawfare by the FBI, DOJ, CIA,...

As Ronald Reagan might say — there they go again. The “they” this time around is the Never Trump chorus insisting that not only can’t former President Donald Trump win the 2024 election, but he shouldn’t even be trying. Whether it’s Bush-cheerleader Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal, or, in the same place, Ruth R. Wisse, a professor emerita at Harvard University, or the esteemed Andrew C. McCarthy over at National Review, or more scattered over the political landscape, the Trump naysayers are out in force, predicting, of course, that the former president’s reelection bid is dead in the...

JUAN WILLIAMS: They're using Hunter Biden to go after President Biden. That's why you said President Biden's worrief -- look, I think that it is not, I just think going after a relative and a child who was an addict with serious problems, I don't see it. SHANNON BREAM: If he's done some of the things they alleged he did, should he get a pass, as a child of a president? JUAN WILLIAMS: No. I pose the question differently. There is a difference between investigators in the process, that's not unusual. But would you bring charges against this person...

The governor, who began the year with momentum, is now confronting a considerably more difficult path as he prepares to launch a national campaign ----------- Republican megadonor Ken Langone is eager to support Ron DeSantis for president in 2024. But he has some concerns about the Florida governor as he prepares to enter the race. Langone didn’t like that DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban and wants him to moderate his stance on the issue. It wouldn’t hurt for DeSantis to “be a little more conciliatory” in his demeanor, he suggested. And Langone worries about the resurgence of former president...

Victory Insights found the Florida Governor holding a lead in November. But that's gone now. Gov. Ron DeSantis handily won re-election last cycle. But a new poll shows he may lose his home state in a GOP Primary for President against Donald Trump. Victory Insights, a polling firm with a presence in Naples, found Trump beating DeSantis both within a wide field and in a head-to-head matchup. Among likely GOP Primary voters, Trump comes out on top in a crowded field with almost 43% of the vote, while DeSantis lands at just under 35%. Author and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy pulls...

Republican 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told Daily Caller editor Grayson Quay that he initially supported Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but now believes that he is not the candidate to lead the Republican Party in the upcoming presidential election. DeSantis is expected to be former President Donald Trump’s main rival in the primary election as repeated polling has shown the Florida governor and former president to be neck-and-neck in a potential race. Ramaswamy formally entered the race on Feb. 21, and exclusively told Quay that he no longer believes DeSantis is the new leader of the Republican Party. Watch:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is polling under 20 percent in a hypothetical 2024 Republican primary field after former President Donald Trump received a surge in the polls when a New York grand jury voted to indict him last week. Reuters surveyed 706 U.S. adults from March 31 to April 3, just days after a New York grand jury voted to indict the former president. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump focuses on his alleged role in paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money. March 20: • Trump — 44% (+14) • DeSantis — 30% APRIL...

@paulsperry_ DEVELOPING: The Bushes are running against Trump through "proxy" candidate DeSantis, according to GOP insiders in Texas and Florida. The entire "Bush machine" is behind his campaign, even helping run it

Put a fork in the opposition denials to what was increasingly obvious; it’s over. Last summer we saw the fingerprints of the professional republican apparatus all over the construct that was creating the Ron DeSantis 2024 effort. The data was all going in one direction, all of the constructs were identical to the Karl Rove playbook with the single addition of the Republican Governor’s Association as a participant. As the months moved forward the Rovian elements became more and more clear. The DeSantis supporters tried to deny it, but the truth of the issue is just too obvious. Now, insider...

Ron DeSantis may be missing his moment. A number of the Florida governor’s donors and allies are worried his recent stumbles suggest he may not be ready for a brutal fight against Donald Trump. Some feel DeSantis needs to accelerate his timeline to run for the GOP presidential nomination and begin directly confronting Trump if he's to have any chance of thwarting the former president’s momentum. Others believe DeSantis should sidestep Trump altogether and wait until 2028 to run. “They liked him — many of them might even support him,” the person who was at the event said of DeSantis....

Donald Trump Jr. and others criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for dismissing the rumors of a looming indictment of former President Donald Trump at the hands of leftist Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a “manufactured” circus that he wants no involvement in, concluding that the governor is displaying “weakness.” DeSantis weighed in on the news of the looming indictment during Monday’s press conference, stating that he is aware of the rumors of the indictment but has not seen any “facts” yet.

DeSantis silent, Vivek speaks.

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have been attacked by a number of Trump loyalists for failing to comment on rumors the former president will be arrested on Tuesday. MAGA Republicans have criticized DeSantis and Haley for not speaking out against the Manhattan DA's office for what they claim is a weaponization of the justice system. DeSantis is widely rumored to be preparing to run against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Haley was the first to enter the race after Trump. Jason Miller, a Trump adviser and the former CEO of right-wing free speech app Gettr noted a 'radio...

Former Bush 43 adviser Karl Rove said Monday on FNC’s “The Story” that former President Donald Trump needs to “move on” from claiming he won the 2020 presidential election. Sunday at CPAC in Maryland, Trump said, “We are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush.” Anchor Martha MacCallum said, “President Trump went after you at one point, went after other Republicans and said, you know, that’s not the direction we’re going anymore. We’re moving hard on America first, and this is the last battle. Everyone knows it. The country could be lost forever.”...