DeSantis-Trump differences are visible

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The differences between former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is coming into sharper focus as the two emerge as potential rivals in the 2024 presidential contest.

Trump’s endorsement helped propel DeSantis into a GOP primary in Florida’s 2018 gubernatorial race. But as both men position themselves for a White House run, the long-simmering differences in vaccines, pandemic responses and other issues emerge.

Some of DeSantis’ policy positions are in direct conflict with Trump’s. That sets up a contrast for the Florida governor to highlight should he run against Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination.

“We’re going to continue to see this cold war get hotter and hotter, and the only thing to watch for is when DeSantis starts openly criticizing or responding to Trump,” said Sam Nunberg, a GOP strategist who advised Trump’s campaign. Trump in 2016. “He didn’t need to while he was governor, but eventually he will be a candidate.”

Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly seen as a possible political weakness for the former president among Republican primary voters. Trump oversaw a shutdown of the US economy in the first months of the pandemic at the urging of public health experts. This has allowed governors like DeSantis to win the support of their constituents by allowing businesses in their states to remain open, conforming to federal guidelines.

Last week, DeSantis appeared to move to Trump’s right again when he formed a state committee to act as a counterbalance to federal health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and said he would request a grand jury investigation into COVID-19 vaccines.

Health experts and even some Republicans slammed the move, arguing it would sow distrust in medicine and vaccines at a time when the federal government is pushing more Americans to get booster shots. protecting them from the virus. It also risks alienating more moderate voters.

COVID-19 vaccines were developed during the Trump administration, something Trump has repeatedly sought credit for. But the former president has largely avoided talking about vaccines since leaving office, and, unlike other top officials, he hasn’t taken his shot in public, underscoring the delicate line he’s trying to walk. walk with some of his supporters who questioned its validity.

While pandemic policies are an issue on which Trump and DeSantis may see light, the governor’s allies and strategists believe another key point of difference lies in the governor’s legislative record more broadly.

“I think the overall narrative and difference is that DeSantis gets things done, and he’s not a cult of personality,” said one Florida-based Republican strategist. “While President Trump is running for himself, DeSantis is running for the people and showing that he can govern effectively.”

“Trump likes to say that everything until the pandemic was a great success and you should judge him for that,” the strategist added.

Trump has spent the two years since leaving office mostly focused on the 2020 election, constantly claiming it was fraudulent or rigged against him despite no evidence of widespread fraud.

Since announcing his White House bid in November 2024, Trump has been a magnet for controversy. He dined with a white nationalist Holocaust denier at his Florida club, and he suggested parts of the Constitution should be set aside so he could have a redo of the 2020 election or be returned to power.

Trump’s lone policy launch came via a video in which he said he would ban the federal government from labeling speech as misinformation as part of a broader “free speech” platform. Trump’s criticism of DeSantis has so far been that he owes his 2018 election victory to the then-president’s endorsement.

Meanwhile, DeSantis has used his position as governor to get ahead of culture war issues that matter to conservative voters.

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He supported a law to restrict discussion of gender and sexuality among younger students, brought migrants from Texas to the liberal enclave of Martha’s Vineyard, and pushed against mask requirements in schools. He also signed off on a congressional map that heavily favors Republicans, helping the party pick up additional seats in the November midterms.

DeSantis is expected to delay any announcement on a 2024 campaign until late spring or summer, using the upcoming legislative session to score more policy victories that could insulate him from Trump and the other out of place.

“It’s not complicated, @RonDeSantisFL is leading the polls for a reason. Principled, conservative, leadership on issues Floridians (and all Americans) care about,” tweeted Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) .

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