Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are they fighting each other in their quest to be ready for 2024? That’s the impression you’d get from several different sources right now.
After all, Donald Trump did make a single derogatory comment about “some politicians” not revealing their vaccination status some days ago, calling them “gutless,” while praising how many lives the vaccines have saved. It was clearly a shot at Ron DeSantis. At least, that’s how it’s being spun by the likes of MSNBC and CNN, among others.
DeSantis, naturally. It hasHe also revealed that he had been vaccinated. In fact, he spent the past year advocating and prioritizing vaccines for his state’s elderly citizens. How quickly some forget the “60 Minutes” hit piece and coordinated campaign that followed to accuse the Florida governor of preferential treatment for retirement communities and Publix, the grocery store chain, that stepped up early to help with distribution.
Was Trump really talking about DeSantis, or was he just referring to him? Perhaps he didn’t say it, but there are other Republican politicians who don’t politicize their vaccine status. What is the source of all this Trump-DeSantis feuding?
This answer is split into two pieces. First, Maggie Haberman, a far-left writer for the New York Times who often presents herself as being close to Trump’s thinking (you can decide how reliable you believe she is), put out a series of tweets supposing that the former president is upset that DeSantis has refused to rule out a 2024 run.
2/2 not only positioning himself to get credit for a vaccine he once demanded it for, but he is trying to make DeSantis look like a “typical pol” who won’t be straightforward.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 12, 2022
I’m not going to pretend that Trump isn’t extremely petty when it comes to anyone he views as a threat. Given the popularity of DeSantis on the left, it is not surprising that Trump feels some pressure. Trump’s naivety to claim that attacking Republicans against vaccine mandates, lockdowns is winning is what I think is the case. He may nibble at the edges in vague terms, but he’s not taking that whole bite. It’d be political suicide.
Regardless, as the leftwing ideologues tell it, Trump is big mad at DeSantis and he’s publicly lobbing bombs at the Florida governor. The second piece of this setup is the result. DeSantis went on the “Ruthless” podcast this week and was asked what his biggest regret was over the last several years.
This was supposedly his answer, as transcribed by CNN’s Manu Raju, whose typical job involves asking Joe Manchin every single day if he’ll change his mind on the filibuster.
DeSantis stated that Trump administration calls for lockdown during the pandemic were one of his most regrettable decisions. And I believe it, knowing now that I know what it is, then I’d have spoken out louder if there was ever a threat. About 32 mins in: https://t.co/HaR1MOfHWY
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 14, 2022
Sounds definitive, right? But you’ll be less than shocked to learn that the supposed mention of Trump was manufactured by Raju. DeSantis Did notTrump is the most prominent political figure in America, so it’s not difficult to speak about him. DeSantis actually mentioned Dr. Anthony Fauci when he responded to the question.
Did DeSantis really intend to attack Trump by his remarks, even if only slightly? It’s possible, but that’s hardly as definitive as some are suggesting, and it makes much more sense that he was chiefly hitting Fauci, who was the primary architect of the lockdowns and often butted heads with Trump.
All that being said, I will now tell you what it is all about.
Ron DeSantis is a threat to all left-leaning people, even those who are claiming to be right. He’s smart, he handles the media with absolute expertise, and most of all, he’s highly effective. They want a battle between Trump and DeSantis. That’s why you are getting absurdly false contentions that DeSantis has courted anti-vaxxers, while Trump is presented as being highly pro-vaccine. That is the pressure point that is believed to be exploitable, and it’s a completely transparent strategy.
In short, I don’t buy what’s being written. Trump is well aware that DeSantis was not too draconian on COVID-19, which was a great move considering the ineffectiveness and effectiveness of passports, lockdowns, mandates, etc. It is an invitation to disaster. DeSantis on the other side knows that Trump is not worth getting in a fight with.
If DeSantis wins, Trump may have some issues with his base, especially regarding COVID-19, when 2023 arrives. But for now, this “feud” is mostly manufactured by third parties looking to make hay against DeSantis because he made them look stupid — as they double-mask and look forward to their second booster shot.
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