Former President Donald Trump just had his name removed from the Colorado Republican primary ballot by the state's Supreme Court on the flimsiest of grounds — that he led an "insurrection."
Like the four indictments we've already seen, this only energizes Trump's base more, and his poll numbers keep climbing. Even the people running against him in the primary (including Chris Christie!) have called out such blatant election interference. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court will possibly overturn Colorado's ruling.
I've written before that Trump will more likely than not be the GOP nominee, something I have accepted as someone who likes Gov. Ron DeSantis as much as him. This newest act of lawfare will probably be the thing that secures it. However, it has also brought back the uncertainty of what will happen during the general election if Trump scores the nomination. As our own editor Paula just wrote, Blaze TV host and DeSantis ally Steve Deace spoke about this very topic in Iowa, and it encapsulates the uncertainty perfectly.
Deace rightly called out the Democrats and the Deep State for their blatant political persecution of Trump, saying, "Everything they're doing to Donald Trump legally is complete and total BS, which is exactly why they are doing it." He warned this removal from Colorado's primary ballot will not be the last attempt to remove Trump's name from a state's ballot, and he expressed certainty that Trump will be convicted of one of the made-up crimes he is falsely being indicted for.
Deace argued that DeSantis is the better option precisely because the sheer hatred of Trump by the left and the Deep State will motivate them to do everything they can to ensure he loses, and we cannot afford the loss as a country.
It's a good point, to be sure, but it may be too late to make it.
Related: What if They've Rigged the Game to the Point That Trump CAN'T Win?
Trump and DeSantis have too much bad blood between them, and their online proxies are particularly nasty to each other. The most hardcore Trump supporters will not consider anyone other than him, and DeSantis cannot take anyone out of the Trump base.
Knowing what we know now, what Steve Deace just said should have been DeSantis's message from the beginning.
While differentiating himself from Trump helped him slaughter the Democrats in Florida during the 2022 midterms and get reelected by almost 20 points, it hasn't been enough against a former president who has already been in the White House. Criticizing what Trump did wrong only makes the situation worse at a time when Trump is still the face of the GOP.
If we could go back to before DeSantis announced his campaign knowing what we know now, changing his campaign message would be the first thing to do.
DeSantis could have eaten the humble pie then instead of the crow he could very well be eating soon, and could have said something like, "I am running for president not in opposition to Donald Trump, but in support of him. The Democratic Party, the Deep State, and the DOJ will do everything they can to prevent one of the best presidents in our lifetimes from returning to the White House, and even if he wins he will only have one term remaining. We saw how he had to fight tooth and nail every inch of the way during his first term to implement America First policies, and in a second term, he won't even be able to go to the Situation Room without being opposed. My record as governor of Florida has proven I can fight just as well as Trump to get conservative, America First policy through, and being able to serve two terms will allow me to Drain the Swamp Trump has exposed. Although I will gladly support Trump in the general if he is the nominee, at the very least, consider me the Trump they intend to deny you."
You have to hand it to Vivek Ramaswamy that he is kinda-sorta doing what DeSantis should have done, recently saying he will withdraw from the Colorado primary in solidarity with Trump.
But this is where we are now, and who knows what could happen by next November?
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