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So far, the 2024 Republican primary will be a face-off between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. But it is still early in the race and there are many other strong names seriously looking at entering the fray. One of them is Ron DeSantis.
The Florida governor swept his last election and is seen as one of the strongest contenders in the race to the White House. Indeed, he is the only one who could trouble former President Trump in some polls. Despite not verbally expressing himself in favor of a presidential candidacy, he took a key step that may be a sign.
To run for president there are two almost exclusive requirements. The release of an inspirational autobiography and the creation of a political action committee or 501(c)(4) organization. DeSantis is about to cross the first requirement off his list. The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival will be released in late February.
Despite this nod, it is still unclear whether the governor of the “Sunshine State” has decided to run in the primaries, something that would lead him to run head-on into a speeding train. In this case, the train has a name and is called Donald Trump. The former president showed in 2016 how rough it can be to compete against him in a primary.
Ben Shapiro seems to have it straight. The popular conservative commentator stopped by Full Send Podcast in December and was asked about it. “Do you think he’ll run?” the host asked, to which Shapiro didn’t hesitate and replied, “I’d be shocked if he doesn’t.”
“All the stars are aligned for him. In politics, the worst thing that you can do is miss your moment. You can see this with Elizabeth Warren in 2016. Elizabeth Warren should have run, she missed her moment, and said that was not her moment. 2016 was her moment if she’d run against Hillary she might have won the nomination in 2016,” he added.
According to The Ben Shapiro Show host, that “moment” is driven by his re-election victory, given that DeSantis went from 0.4% in 2018 to nearly 20% in 2022. In other words, his victory in Florida was bigger than Gavin Newsom’s in California.
As for a possible campaign, Shapiro argued that the governor should continue with his current strategy and ignore Trump, simply stand behind his record and call for “new blood” for the party.
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“Just to say ‘listen I don’t have a bad word to say about the former president of the United States. I like a lot of what he did as president but it’s time for New Blood and I like what we’ve done in Florida,'” he continued.
The popular commentator also addressed the topic on a recent episode of “Daily Wire Backstage,” where he debated with colleagues about 2024. “I think he almost certainly is [going to run]. He has 150 million dollars in the bank and all the momentum,” Shapiro noted. That money mentioned is what was left over from his 2022 campaign, to which was added a few thousand dollars rained down on his inauguration.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]