{"id":567469,"date":"2023-03-25T03:23:55","date_gmt":"2023-03-25T00:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/ron-desantis-donors-and-allies-question-if-hes-ready-for-2024\/"},"modified":"2023-03-25T03:23:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T00:23:55","slug":"ron-desantis-donors-and-allies-question-if-hes-ready-for-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ron-desantis-donors-and-allies-question-if-hes-ready-for-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"#Ron DeSantis’ donors and allies question if\u00a0he’s\u00a0ready for 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WASHINGTON \u2014 Ron DeSantis may be missing his moment.<\/p>\n

A number\u00a0of the Florida governor\u2019s donors and allies are worried his recent stumbles suggest he may not be ready for a brutal fight against Donald Trump. Some feel DeSantis needs to accelerate his timeline to run for the GOP presidential nomination and begin directly confronting Trump if he’s to have any chance of thwarting the former president\u2019s momentum. Others believe DeSantis should sidestep Trump altogether and wait until 2028 to run.<\/p>\n

At a Sunday luncheon following the annual Red Cross ball in Palm Beach, Florida, a group of 16 prominent Republicans, described by one attendee as a mix of DeSantis backers and Trump “skeptics,” discussed misgivings about the governor’s standing for the future if he tussles with the former president.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey liked him \u2014 many of them might even support him,\u201d the person who was at the event said of DeSantis. \u201cBut they thought on balance that his long-term future was better without him trying to take Trump head on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe will get scarred up\u201d by Trump, the person added.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s conservative billionaire shipping goods magnate Richard Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, whose $500,000 in combined contributions ranked them among the most generous donors to DeSantis\u2019 2022 re-election campaign. <\/p>\n

A person familiar with the strategy around Uihlein\u2019s spending said that right now, \u201cThe brakes are pumped,\u201d adding, \u201cThe polling really made different people pause.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the Uihleins declined to comment.<\/p>\n

The fears of some of his own supporters, along with a growing sentiment among GOP operatives that Trump may be impossible to defeat \u2014 even with a possible indictment looming over him \u2014 present DeSantis with the conundrum of trying to demonstrate that he is a viable presidential candidate before he even launches his anticipated campaign.<\/p>\n

NBC News<\/a> spoke with more than 20 GOP strategists, politicians and donors about whether DeSantis can bounce back from adversity \u2014 some of it self-inflicted, some of it the result of constant pressure from Trump \u2014 or is destined to wilt under the white-hot lights of a campaign for the highest office in the land.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For a governor who prides himself on taking bold stands, and winning on the electoral battlefield, DeSantis has not yet shown the strength that gave some Republicans reason to believe he could compete with Trump.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for DeSantis did not return a request for comment for this article. <\/p>\n

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Once surging, DeSantis remains well below Trump in polls<\/a> measuring the prospective GOP primary field. He was slow to respond to the possible indictment of Trump \u2014 and then sideswiped the former president once he did. DeSantis was also forced this week to clean up his position on U.S. support for Ukraine after a backlash from establishment Republicans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 100% possible that we\u2019ve seen him peak already,\u201d said one veteran Republican campaign operative who speaks to donors regularly. That person said he believes DeSantis can recover, but the governor\u2019s reaction to the indictment question \u201cwas really telling about how far behind the eight-ball\u201d he and his team are.<\/p>\n

A GOP strategist who has spoken directly with donors in Palm Beach said that this is a week that should be good for DeSantis, considering his chief rival for the nomination could be indicted any day now. And the fact that it\u2019s been so tough for the governor has given some donors pause. <\/p>\n

\u201cDeSantis is doing a book tour. He\u2019s barnstorming the country, and his polls are going down,\u201d the strategist said. \u201cMeanwhile, Trump\u2019s potentially under indictment, and Trump\u2019s going up. It\u2019s just not a good look for DeSantis.\u201d<\/p>\n

This person added that donors who have given to DeSantis over the past year or two are still open to supporting him for president, but they\u2019re also starting to take a look at other potential candidates like Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., as DeSantis has \u201cfumbled\u201d big moments.<\/p>\n

The polling dip and subsequent angst radiating from some allies are the first measurable dents to the enthusiasm for DeSantis as a viable alternative to Trump. They follow weeks of attacks by the former president, from fanning unfounded rumors about the governor\u2019s personal life to criticizing his past votes in Congress. DeSantis\u2019 responses have been largely restrained, mild criticisms often delivered with his disclaimer that he doesn\u2019t want to attack fellow Republicans.<\/p>\n

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I think too many of the Republican presidential candidates are still trying to walk the line of having it both ways, and you can\u2019t do that with Trump.<\/p>\n

Former North Carolina Gov. Pat MCcRory<\/cite><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dan Eberhart, a GOP donor who is supporting the governor, told NBC News this week he doesn\u2019t think DeSantis can afford to continue tiptoeing around Trump.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDeSantis shouldn\u2019t ignore him for too much longer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are donors who are excited by DeSantis\u2019 early performance and the prospects of him winning the presidency.<\/p>\n

Gregory Cook, founder of the multilevel essential oils marketing company doTerra, said in an email that DeSantis\u2019 pre-campaign phase has been \u201cvery encouraging!\u201d and that the Florida governor \u201cexhibits the leadership we need at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he sees no need for adjustment from DeSantis.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough he has not announced a presidential run, if he were to do so, Governor DeSantis is the clear front-runner in my opinion,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n

DeSantis allies have said he doesn\u2019t plan to make an announcement about a possible candidacy at least until June, after Florida\u2019s legislative session is over. Sitting in a clear second place to Trump in most national surveys, DeSantis may see waiting as a way to help freeze the field of other candidates waiting to make their own decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pending candidacy of Ron DeSantis is absolutely keeping people out,\u201d said one Republican strategist who, like others, requested anonymity to speak candidly about presidential contenders. If DeSantis gets in and shows himself to be a strong candidate, \u201cthat probably holds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if he\u2019s not successful \u2014 and that\u2019s an arbitrary assessment to some degree; what\u2019s successful? \u2014 then you could see others continue to look at it or eventually get in the race,\u201d this person added.<\/p>\n

Yet advisers to multiple potential candidates said DeSantis\u2019 recent struggles have had no impact on their thinking about the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this online eagerness to say DeSantis is falling apart, and I just don\u2019t think that\u2019s where Republican voters are,\u201d one adviser to such a candidate said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, they added, there was one \u201cbig takeaway\u201d from DeSantis\u2019 past week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were always convinced that DeSantis was going to be very disciplined. Disciplined, disciplined, disciplined,\u201d this person said. \u201cAnd he kind of proved this week that he\u2019s not. This was a guy who would not talk about Trump, and here he is taking shots nearly a year before Republicans start actually voting.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a news conference Monday, DeSantis denounced Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a pawn of the liberal billionaire George Soros, but then used the opportunity to take a shot at Trump by repeating the allegations against the former president: \u201cI don\u2019t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I just, I can\u2019t speak to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, in an interview published Wednesday, DeSantis told British journalist Piers Morgan he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is a \u201cwar criminal\u201d who should be \u201cheld accountable\u201d for his invasion of Ukraine. It was a notably different response from what he said in a March 13 statement to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, when he said that defending Ukraine in a \u201cterritorial dispute\u201d is not in America\u2019s \u201cvital national interests.\u201d <\/p>\n

And during a Thursday app<\/a>earance on Newsmax, DeSantis was again critical<\/a> of U.S. policy toward Ukraine and questioned providing that country with American weaponry.<\/p>\n

Republicans are deeply divided on continued U.S. assistance to Ukraine, and DeSantis received a fair amount of criticism from members of the GOP\u00a0 \u2014 including other possible 2024 rivals \u2014 for his initial response. It seemed to be an attempt to be closer in line to Trump\u2019s own stance on Ukraine, especially considering DeSantis\u2019 more hawkish stance on the matter when he served in Congress.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican and an NBC News contributor, said DeSantis\u2019 waffling on Ukraine surprised him \u201cbecause on everything else, he comes out with such strong statements and convictions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDeSantis has got to be careful not to walk the line on issues,\u201d he added. \u201cHe comes out strong on so many issues, if he starts playing the political game<\/a> of trying to have it both ways, I think he\u2019ll lose his credibility. \u2026 I think too many of the Republican presidential candidates are still trying to walk the line of having it both ways, and you can\u2019t do that with Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump has led DeSantis in nearly every reputable national poll since the start of Joe Biden\u2019s presidency in 2021, but a flurry of large spreads earlier this month forced GOP insiders to start asking whether anyone could deny Trump a third consecutive nomination.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always going to be nervousness, especially with the poll numbers looking the way they are,\u201d said one longtime Republican operative who noted that he hasn’t seen donors fleeing from DeSantis. \u201cI think he\u2019s done a good job of holding them at bay.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Kochel, an Iowa-based Republican operative who served as the chief strategist in former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush\u2019s ill-fated 2016 presidential campaign, cautioned it\u2019s too early to call a winner based on national polling so far out from the first state nominating contests. He named several momentary GOP front-runners from past cycles to underscore his argument.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only polls that will ever matter are the state by state polls, and even then only as we get much closer to the actual contests,\u201d he said. \u201cPresidents Scott Walker, Ben Carson and Newt Gingrich might have additional thoughts about early national polls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, even Trump allies expected more from DeSantis. One Republican operative supportive of Trump said DeSantis missed an opportunity to flex power over Trump after the former president said over the weekend that he expected to be indicted on charges in New York in the coming days.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat DeSantis should have done is immedia<\/a>tely respond and say, \u2018Under no circumstances will the free state of Florida allow this political prosecution to take place,\u2019\u201d said the operative, noting the logistics of getting Trump, a Florida resident, to New York for an arraignment. \u201cWhat that would have done is present DeSantis as the alpha and Trump as the beta. He could have set himself up to look like the protector of Trump, which would have driven Trump crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n