One of them is officially in the running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, while the other has been touted as a potential candidate for more than a year. The row between former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has now, for the first time, moved beyond verbal exchanges and into a formal complaint.
Trump allies have accused DeSantis of running a “shadow presidential campaign” and violating state election and ethics laws.
Trump entered the presidential race in November, but DeSantis has said nothing or responded to inquiries about a bid. The only discussion before his re-election last fall was marked by what seemed like an extremely prolonged silence.
If DeSantis is elected governor of Florida again, will you serve a full four-year term? asked Democratic candidate Charlie Crist directly. It’s not a difficult question.
Ultimately, Liz Quirantes, a news anchor for WPEC, stepped in to save DeSantis, saying, “We weren’t okay with the contestants asking questions.”
DeSantis said a week later that the election had just ended. People should just take a moment to calm down about this.
Make America Great Again Inc., according to NBC News, filed a 15-page lawsuit Wednesday asking the Florida Ethics Commission to consider whether super PACs supporting DeSantis, his “personally lucrative book tour” or his efforts to ongoing fundraisers “are illegal because they serve his personal political purposes, are in pursuit of his personal financial gain at the expense of the taxpayers of Florida, and are intended to influence his official decision to resign from office.”
Despite the fact that the primaries and caucuses are still more than a year away, DeSantis is seen as Trump’s main contender for the party’s candidacy.
Although it is widely believed that Trump helped DeSantis win the governorship, there have been arguments and name-calling since.
DeSantis said he should have spoken “much louder” against Trump at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to reports, Trump called DeSantis an asshole with a “boring attitude” that has no chance of defeating him if they face off in 2024. Politicians like DeSantis who declined to say if they received the recall COVID have been referred to by Trump as “gutless”.
In a press conference, the governor of Florida ripped President Biden (“Which person would you choose? Ladapo or Fauci?”) During a press conference on national concerns like energy, inflation (“Biden-flation”) and the southern border while referring to the Biden administration as the “Brandon administration.”
He fought for cultural equality on issues ranging from freedom to abortion, from computer companies to schools, and from corporate America to immigrants. DeSantis also visited Iowa last week as part of his book tour and to deliver his message.
The GOP supermajority in the Florida Legislature seems to believe there might be something wrong. They are debating legislation that would allow DeSantis to continue serving as governor even if he unsuccessfully runs for president, as well as controversial rules to control what bloggers can say about him.
DeSantis has openly advocated making it easier for public figures like lawmakers to file libel suits, despite his frequent disdain for the media. Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy are the only other recognized Republicans to run for president besides Trump.
NPR compiled a long list of alternative options last week. They also include John Bolton, Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis. They served as Trump’s national security adviser, secretary of state, and vice president, respectively.
Tim Scott and Liz Cheney of Congress, as well as governors and former governors Chris Sununu, Glenn Youngkin, Kristi Noem and Asa Hutchinson.
President Joe Biden has not declared a re-election campaign, but that is expected to change in terms of Democrats. Self-help book author Marianne Williamson has declared her candidacy.