{"id":565003,"date":"2023-03-17T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-memo-trump-team-seeks-to-paint-desantis-as-opportunist\/"},"modified":"2023-03-17T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T10:00:00","slug":"the-memo-trump-team-seeks-to-paint-desantis-as-opportunist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-memo-trump-team-seeks-to-paint-desantis-as-opportunist\/","title":{"rendered":"#The Memo: Trump team seeks to paint DeSantis as opportunist"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d24bb6516e\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d24bb6516e\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-memo-trump-team-seeks-to-paint-desantis-as-opportunist\/#The_Memo_Trump_team_seeks_to_paint_DeSantis_as_opportunist\" >The Memo: Trump team seeks to paint DeSantis as opportunist<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Memo_Trump_team_seeks_to_paint_DeSantis_as_opportunist\"><\/span>The Memo: Trump team seeks to paint DeSantis as opportunist<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/desantisron_trumpdonald_031623ap-ron-johnson_split_memo.png?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Former President Trump and his allies think they have found the chink in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019s (R) armor.<\/p>\n<p>Trump and those around him have recently sought to paint DeSantis as an opportunist and flip-flopper. It\u2019s the common thread in a number of recent Trump attacks \u2014 on topics including <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social<\/a> Security, Ukraine and even COVID.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>In a speech in Iowa early this week, Trump accused DeSantis of wanting to \u201cdecimate\u201d Social Security.<\/p>\n<p>After DeSantis issued a statement on Ukraine that included the assertion that the war was a \u201cterritorial dispute\u201d with no \u201cvital\u201d U.S. interests at stake, Trump \u2014 who holds a position that is broadly similar \u2014 accused DeSantis of having mimicked him.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, on COVID, Trump has sought to narrow the perception that there was any meaningful difference in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach between the Florida governor\u2019s actions on the pandemic and his own.<\/p>\n<p>On each of these points, Trump does have legitimate material to work with.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis, while a congressman, backed nonbinding measures that would have raised the retirement age to 70 \u2014 though he now says he would not \u201cmess\u201d with Social Security.<\/p>\n<p>When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, DeSantis was critical of then-President Obama for the supposed weakness of his response. DeSantis advocated arming Ukraine at that time.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>And on COVID, DeSantis did indeed announce a lockdown of his state in the early days of the pandemic \u2014 even though he went on to become a fierce critic of many COVID-related restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis has for the most part avoided responding to Trump\u2019s baiting \u2014 though when a Trump-backing super-PAC filed an ethics complaint against him on Wednesday, a DeSantis spokesperson called it \u201cfrivolous and politically motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Florida governor has been reluctant to say anything openly about whether he will enter the race, even though all signs suggest he will.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>When it comes to Trump, DeSantis has mostly traded in subtler jabs, such as implicit references to the chaos and staff in-fighting that typically surround Trump.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you look at my administration,\u201d DeSantis said during a recent event in Iowa, \u201cpart of the reason we\u2019re able to do so well, we\u2019re not leaking to the media. We don\u2019t have palace intrigue; we don\u2019t have any drama. It\u2019s just execution every single day. And we end up beating the left every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But some Trump allies do believe the former president\u2019s attacks are hitting their mark \u2014 in part simply by disrupting the otherwise positive treatment of DeSantis in conservative-leaning media outlets.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThere was no negative conservative messaging on DeSantis six months ago,\u201d one GOP strategist close to Trump World told this column. \u201cThis is the first time he has taken any incoming at all, and I think Trump is landing real shots on him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This source also contended that such attacks were effective even when Trump and DeSantis were broadly similar policy-wise, as is the case with the war in Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The former president wants it known that, even though the two men have landed on the same page, he got there first.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a very effective attack,\u201d the Trump World source said. \u201cRon DeSantis is the cover band, the tribute act. Why would you want the tribute act when you can have the real thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael Caputo, a longtime friend and adviser to Trump who is now an executive with Americano Media, noted that on Ukraine, \u201cTrump is saying the same thing he has always said, and DeSantis has switched. Now, why has he switched, that\u2019s not clear. I\u2019m sure that will come out. But his position is completely different than it was a few years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite Caputo\u2019s long association with Trump, however, he cautioned against suggesting that DeSantis would be fatally wounded by such charges.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Caputo noted that attacks from one candidate accusing another candidate of being a flip-flopper have been a near-permanent feature of primary campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have worked for politicians who have changed over time,\u201d he said. \u201cThe question is, how short of a time and how much of a change? The Republican primary voter has a high tolerance for change, just not if it happened yesterday on a fundamental issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If DeSantis enters the race, he can defend his changes of position as a response to shifting events \u2014 or note that Trump himself has hardly been a paragon of consistency.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Years before seeking and winning the White House in 2016, for example, Trump had expressed supportiveness of abortion rights and looked favorably on universal healthcare.<\/p>\n<p>For now, it\u2019s clear that DeSantis is easily the most serious rival to Trump \u2014 despite the presence of former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley in the race and the fact that other big names could join the contest, including former Vice President Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.<\/p>\n<p>In a CNN\/SSRS poll released earlier this week, DeSantis was within four points of Trump with Republicans nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>Results like that lead some within the GOP to see the vigor of Trump\u2019s attacks on the Florida governor as a backhanded acknowledgement of the threat he poses.<\/p>\n<p>Matt Mackowiak, the chair of the Travis County, Texas, GOP, when asked about the effectiveness of Trump\u2019s attacks said:\u00a0\u201cI think the two best ways to judge that is, first, is he forcing DeSantis to respond? To this point, he really hasn\u2019t. And, are these hits affecting DeSantis in any of the polls? We are not seeing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Mackowiak added: \u201cWhat it signals most to me is that Trump\u2019s team is concerned about DeSantis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/3904443-the-memo-trump-team-seeks-to-paint-desantis-as-opportunist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Memo: Trump team seeks to paint DeSantis as opportunist Former President Trump and his allies think they have found the chink in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019s (R) armor. Trump and those around him have recently sought to paint DeSantis as an opportunist and flip-flopper. It\u2019s the common thread in a number of recent Trump&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":565004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/desantisron_trumpdonald_031623ap-ron-johnson_split_memo.png?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[78209,134344,70363,4941,70610,6642,124783,991,141306,134351,71525,134354,29102,4975,70868],"class_list":["post-565003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2024-presidential-election","tag-administration","tag-civil-rights","tag-donald-trump","tag-finance","tag-florida","tag-international","tag-joe-biden","tag-michael-caputo","tag-morning-report","tag-national-security","tag-nexstar-media-wire-news","tag-ron-desantis","tag-russia","tag-ukraine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=565003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/565004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=565003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=565003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}