GOP members call Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a ‘paper tiger’ who could ‘ruin or fade you’

Republicans considering a presidential run are refraining from making official announcements to see if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis caves or makes a critical faux pas, his advisers say.

DeSantis, currently Donald Trump’s most serious rival, has been described by critics as a “paper tiger” who lacks the charisma to run a successful presidential campaign.

Nonetheless, he enjoyed great midterm success and has dominated the polls of Republicans seeking a replacement for Trump, while prominent party members have kept their support subtle to avoid angering the former president.

As the 2024 election approaches, a belated surge of Republican candidates is expected to jump into the fray. At this stage in 2019, nine Democratic presidential candidates had declared campaigns against then-President Trump.

There is no formal deadline by which candidates must file to run, but certain state-specific criteria must be met, such as doing so well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and general elections. The first deadline to file a presidential state primary in the last election cycle was November 8, 2019 in Alabama.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg became the last presidential candidate to formally contest the last seven elections, in November 2019.

By this time in 2019, nine Democratic presidential candidates had declared campaigns against then-President Trump.

“Everyone not named DeSantis is having a hard time finding their way around him. So they’re waiting for it to slip up or fade away,” said Republican strategist Scott Jennings. told Axios. ‘So far, she’s not doing anything.’

“Nobody wants to get slingshots and arrows from Trump,” said an adviser to one of the top 2024 contenders. “Whether they’re early or late, it won’t matter if they have a built-in network of donors.”

DeSantis isn’t known for being charismatic, but he has popular appeal and was featured by the Financial Times as a “sniper” who can address voters “in a clear and direct style that ordinary people can understand.”

As Florida’s governor, he has advocated for stricter borders and against green ESG investing of state funds, pledging to make the state “the brick wall against everything that wakes up.”

Last March, he controversially signed into law a parental rights bill that prohibited teachers from giving classroom instruction on “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” from kindergarten through third grade, known as the bill law “Don’t say gay”.

DeSantis has vowed to make Florida “the brick wall against all the things that woke up”

Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley (pictured) is expected to be one of the first candidates to launch a run for president and rival Trump.

Responses from 4,470 likely Republican primary voters when asked who they would vote for if the 2024 Republican primary or caucus were held in their state today. Survey conducted by Morning Consult

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, one of the rising stars of the Republican Party, is a candidate who is not expected to make an announcement for some time as he handles Senate policy in his own state.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, described by one of his top advisers as a “hot commodity,” is unlikely to announce a run for president anytime soon.

You should wait longer. It is always available as an option later,’ they added.

Another potential, Mike Pompeo, has recently published a book that he will promote while touring the country in the coming months and is therefore unlikely to make any announcements anytime soon, someone familiar with his thinking told Axios.

On the other hand, the former ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley it is said that he is beginning to mobilize for a presidential campaign. Some of his top advisers have moved to South Carolina, his base, ahead of an anticipated presidential bid, Axios reported.

In the meantime, DeSantis is unlikely to make a public decision about running until May, when Florida’s legislative session ends.

Trump recently performed better than expected in a poll of 4,470 likely Republican primary voters conducted Jan. 6-8 by Morning Consult.

He remained the favorite at 46 percent, followed in second was DeSantis, who had 33 percent support. However, Trump’s popularity has been declining, from 50 percent when he announced his plan to run in November.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, one of the rising stars of the Republican Party, is not expected to make an announcement for some time.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has been described by one of his top advisers as a “known product” and is unlikely to announce a run for president anytime soon.

Trump apparently viewed DeSantis as a threat after the midterms, in which many of the candidates he endorsed, including Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania and Herschel Walker in Georgia, suffered humiliating defeats.

In the days after the election, he called DeSantis an “average REPUBLICAN governor with great PR” and labeled him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

He also turned to his Truth Social platform to downplay DeSantis’ electoral success.

‘Now that the Florida election is over and everything went pretty well, shouldn’t it be said that in 2020 I got 1.1 million more votes in Florida than Ron D got this year, 5.7 million versus 4.6 million? Was I just asking?’ he wrote.