Between now and the 2024 election, the GOP’s crop of presidential hopefuls is carefully walking the Donald Trump tightrope, attempting to win over the former president’s mass of supporters without angering the man himself. Florida governor Ron DeSantis is among those treading this razor wire as he eyes a potential 2024 bid. While he has received significant support for recently backing a series of red meat laws that align with the Trump base, including bills that target social media companies, leftism being taught in public schools, and the rights of protesters, DeSantis remains “very wary” of doing anything to upset the former president, according to a Politico report on Monday––all in an effort to abet his political rise.
So far his approach seems to be working; in May, polls showed that Florida voters largely approved of the job DeSantis was doing. But last week a crisis arose that could test his popularity. The partial collapse of a 12-story residential tower in Miami Beach has left several dead and many more missing beneath the rubble—and at least one victim’s relative has targeted DeSantis in the aftermath. “It’s not enough,” the person told DeSantis at the family reunification center, per Local 10 News. “Imagine if your children were in there. You are going to leave here and you are going to take a nice picture. I know you are doing everything you can, but it’s not enough.” (In response DeSantis’s office offered a statement to the outlet, saying, “As a father, Governor DeSantis sympathizes with the devastating pain these families are feeling as they await news about their missing loved ones.”)
The disaster could imperil DeSantis’s ambitions, particularly as more details come out. But his ongoing success is equally dangerous if it rubs the former president the wrong way. A little over a week ago, DeSantis defeated Trump 74-71 in the annual Western Conservative Summit straw poll—a traditional bellwether for the party. “[DeSantis] will take measures so that Trump won’t get mad at him, but believe me, the more successful you are, with Trump, sometimes makes it worse,” a GOP consultant close to DeSantis told Politico. “It’s a weird spot to be in for sure.”
Trump has not yet announced his plans for 2024; instead he continues to claim that he will be “reinstated” as president in the coming months. But he’s already taken subtle shots at his would-be opponent. In April, while informing Fox Business that he was “100%” considering a third stab at the presidency, Trump took ownership of DeSantis’s wins––clarifying that he “endorsed Ron, and after I endorsed him, he took off like a rocket ship”––and went on to suggest that the governor would make a better second fiddle than president. “They love [the Trump-DeSantis] ticket. But certainly, Ron would be considered. He’s a great guy,” he said.
Trump reaffirmed this sentiment in another Fox Business appearance that aired this month. “I was at the beginning of Ron. I was the first one to endorse him,” the former president reminded Fox’s viewers. When asked by Stuart Varney if he would choose DeSantis as his veep pick were he to run again, Trump replied, “Sure, I would. But there are numerous people who are great. I would certainly consider Ron.”
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