The Morning Briefing: How Long Can DeSantis Take the High Road Against Trump?

Top O’ the Briefing

Happy Tuesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Ellendra was forever insisting that her table tennis skills were enhanced by a steady diet of Doritos and kimchi.

There are currently two schools of thought regarding the state of the Republican primary. The first is that Donald Trump has the nomination wrapped up and that everyone else in the running should stop eating takeout meals and go home already.

The other says that polls are stupid, and we really haven’t gotten going yet.

I am fully on board with the latter. Political opinion polls have about as much validity as Hunter Biden’s claims of sobriety. Anyone who is still latching onto them should probably stop mixing Benadryl with box wine.

If the race for the 2024 Republican nomination truly isn’t over yet, then we all know that the only real non-Trump contender is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Let’s be honest here, people: even Asa Hutchinson isn’t voting for Asa Hutchinson.

According to many, DeSantis’s campaign is dead in the water. I don’t agree with that. I think he is still just getting his feet wet on the real national stage. This will be a real race as we get closer to the Iowa caucuses (still a funny word). At least that’s what I believe at the moment. After last year’s Red Trickle, I’m not very convinced that my powers of political prognostication even exist anymore.

DeSantis has, for the most part, taken the high road vs. Trump thus far. Even when he decides to hit Trump directly, he’s rather polite. Matt wrote something yesterday covering DeSantis’s remarks about Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds:

“Governor, you have spent a lot of time with Governor Reynolds, You defended her after President Trump’s recent statements. Would you consider her as a potential vice presidential pick in this campaign?” a reporter asked DeSantis over the weekend.

“Of course,” DeSantis replied. “I mean, she’s one of the top public servants in America. I thought the attacks on her were totally, totally out of hand and totally unnecessary. We should be thanking good Republican officeholders.”

He continued, “You know, we kind of joke about the Iowa-Florida [competition] — sometimes they do things before us, sometimes we do. But honestly, I want them to do better than us because it’s healthy. When Republicans are doing well, I like that. I don’t get jealous of that. I want to see them do well. And so, they’ve done a great job, and I think she’s been a model public servant, and anybody who’s a Republican that’s trying to denigrate her I think is way off base on that.”

DeSantis is, of course, referring to Trump’s latest tedious loyalty tantrum, when he berated Reynolds for not having endorsed anyone yet in the GOP primary race. These foot-stomping toddler episodes of Trump’s are really wearing on me. If I wanted to vote for a whiny baby, I’d be a Democrat. Calm down, Escalator MAGAs; I’ll still vote for him without hesitation if he’s the nominee. I just wish he’d stop attacking Republicans and maybe focus on the Dems for a while.

Whether DeSantis can effectively get in the mud while battling Trump remains to be seen. He doesn’t shy from confrontation, but his style is vastly different from Trump’s. He’s the boxer while Trump is the street brawler. Boxers can win a lot of fights, but they can also be dropped by one punch from a brawler.

Despite my personal distaste for political polling, it’s clear that DeSantis has some ground to make up if he is going to be the nominee. Should he continue to be gentlemanly with a bit of an edge, or should he start throwing some haymakers at Trump? There’s a lot to be said for him staying in his comfort zone, which allows him to be combative but not be a jerk. Then again, a presidential primary isn’t a cordial affair. Channeling one’s inner jerk is often what’s needed.

It might be time for DeSantis to forgo decorum and start swinging a bit more. Not wildly, but harder. No matter how much he’d like to box, Trump is still going to make it a street fight.

It’s going to be fun to watch.

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