One month ago today, I asked if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would remain a viable candidate in 2028 since former President Donald Trump is almost impossible for the other Republican candidates to gain an edge over, and just a few days ago I postulated on what DeSantis could have done to get that edge after Trump was kicked off the Colorado ballot.
With just over two weeks left before the Iowa Caucus, a long-time adviser to the Florida governor named Ryan Tyson has supposedly said in private that the DeSantis campaign is ready to "make the patient feel comfortable," as in, it's about to die, and they can only ensure it's painless.
DeSantis's communications director Andrew Romeo denied that Tyson ever said this, saying it was just another anonymous hit job and that DeSantis has worked hard campaigning in Iowa, and has been underestimated before.
The kid in me is telling Romeo, "Don't jinx it."
While political strategist Matt Gorman of Targeted Victory did say that the voters will ultimately decide, something others in the comments have said before, Arc Initiatives' Tim Hogan predicted that unless DeSantis wins Iowa or comes in "a very good second," he will probably drop out.
So now we get to this problem if DeSantis wants to run in 2028: Donald Trump is basically the leader of the Republican Party, and his word carries a lot of weight, even if people don't like it. His influence is going to be felt for a long, long time, and the internet ensures it will stick around.
Related: Will DeSantis Remain Viable in 2028?
If DeSantis does drop out soon, this alone will not salvage his 2028 chances or even his political future because Trump and his online supporters will mock him as a loser who tried to run against the most popular president in America (if not recent history) and refused to reciprocate Trump's help when he first ran for governor (and you know they will be saying this as they have about Chris Christie).
With that in mind, he should take a page from what his ally Steve Deace said after Trump got kicked from the Colorado ballot during his suspension announcement and (to reuse a phrase) eat humble pie rather than crow by saying that he tried to run as Trump without the legal drama, but the injustice of the legal drama is precisely why voters choose Trump over him, making clear that what they are doing is completely unfounded, unjust, and blatantly political.
Related: The Campaign DeSantis Should Have Run
More importantly, DeSantis should say that he will support Trump as the nominee.
"But wait, Grayson," you will say, "DeSantis hasn't done anything to indicate a willingness to support Trump as the nominee before; why will people believe him after dropping out?"
The answer will be provided through what DeSantis could say in his suspension announcement:
"When I first started this campaign in May, I ran on the message that I would be Trump without the legal drama. But as we have seen, the Deep State and Democrat efforts to keep Trump out of the White House are precisely what energizes voters, who know these efforts are transparently unfounded and blatantly political. Make no mistake, what they are doing to Trump is utterly wrong, and I do not condone any of it. I know people have asked me to condemn it more harshly, but I had put my own message over the reality of the situation.
So while my allegiance remains ultimately to God, my family, and my country, I am suspending my campaign for President and endorsing Donald Trump as the nominee, because ultimately, the forces undermining America are after us; Trump is just in the way. I have not been afraid to criticize him in the past and during this campaign, but the United States cannot afford another four years with a Democrat in the White House.
To this end, I will use the rest of my term as governor of Florida working hard to make sure my state's elections are free and fair and encourage Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, and all others in public office who endorsed my campaign to do the same, because voters are rightfully suspicious of the 2020 election results, and we must do what we can to ensure that 2024 will not be same because if Democrats win, America loses."
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