Free Republic

Join the 45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump as he speaks at the Lee County GOP dinner in Fort Myers, Florida. President Trump is expected to begin at 7:00 PM ET with live coverage beginning at 5:00 PM ET.

Is this the right time for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to run for president ? Potential candidates calculate odds, take polls, and count dollars to determine whether they should run. But it’s often not an easy decision; timing is the biggest conundrum in politics. DeSantis once seemed to have a glide path to the Republican Party's presidential nomination. His strong popularity among Republicans nationwide, together with his big reelection win and former President Donald Trump’s flubbing the midterm elections, put him in the driver’s seat. But now that the nomination is hitched to the wild uncertainties of indictments, some DeSantis...

Earlier this month, former President Trump said that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) should be impeached if he backs a plan for the debt ceiling to be eliminated over fears that House Republicans could cause the U.S. to default on the nation’s credit. When asked by conservative radio host John Fredericks about chatter surrounding the possibility of Congress effectively eliminating the debt limit, the former president lambasted the idea. On Sunday, following the Democrat’s win and maintaining Senate control, Trump went on the attack. “It’s Mitch McConnell’s fault. Spending money to defeat great Republican candidates instead of backing Blake...

“There’s just a lament for what’s happened to the party and a real sense of disgust at election denialism, the lies, and the extent to which these candidates ape Trump,” Longwell said. “As the party has changed, there’s a group of Republicans who feel alienated despite being Republican voters their whole lives.” Trump plots aggressive midterm strategy seen in GOP as a double-edged sword This group may be relatively small: Surveys show Trump continues to command overwhelming support among Republican voters. But in closely contested elections, even a small number of Republicans who cross over, split tickets or stay home...

When Ron DeSantis is consulting renowned experts about whether or not to run for president in 2024, the man he is most likely to listen to is President Chris Christie. Well, not literally listen. He’ll instead learn from the potential prezzy who ended up presiding in network green rooms instead of the White House because he declined to run when he had his big – well, everything about him is big – chance in 2012. The Gov will also look to the lessons of President Mario Cuomo. These two guys hesitated and missed their window, just like there are some...

In session now, being shown live. Right now they're debating whether or not to have a registered Parliamentarian at all meetings. Since I'm unaware of who is who, I can't tell if this is being pushed by the Anti/Never Trumpers or the pro-Trump delegates. Well, while i was typing the above, they chaired that motion and have moved on. Someone from Fox this morning said to watch Mike Lee and his wife to try and figure out what the NeverTrumpers are doing.

DO NOT VOTE ON THIS THREAD. This is the nightly DISCUSSION thread for the ongoing 2016 Free Republic Caucus. Per caucus rules, no comments are allowed on the caucus thread itself - hence this open chat thread. If you'd like to vote in the caucus, please look in the sidebar for the link, or check downthread here. Thanks, and let 'er rip! Windy Free Republic Caucus 2016 04/21