The Tragedy of Ron Desantis

Ron Desantis has dropped out of the 2024 Republican Primary. At one point he was thought to be the biggest potential challenger to former President Donald Trump for the nomination. He didn’t make it to the second contest.

What Went Wrong For Ron Desantis?

Ron Desantis made a critical miscalculation in deciding to run for president in 2024. Once Donald Trump decided to run again, Desantis stood no chance. Trump remains incredibly popular with Republicans, especially base voters who are more likely to vote in a primary.

Beating Trump would be an uphill battle for any Republican. It was going to be particularly difficult for Desantis. The two candidates share a similar pool of followers. Many Republican voters like both candidates. But Desantis does not command the same loyalty as Trump.

Furthermore, Desantis proved to be a poor campaigner on the national stage. He lacked charisma, and simply couldn’t connect with voters. These are areas where Donald Trump excelled.

The Desantis campaign also made some critical mistakes. They put all of their eggs into one basket: Iowa. Once he came up short there, his campaign was basically over.

Big Mistake

Knowing how popular Trump was with the Republican base, deciding to run against him was a big mistake. Desantis risked alienating the Republican base and possibly ruining his chances at future runs. Look no further than Mike Pence to see what happens to Republicans who run afoul of Donald Trump.

Ron Desantis should have waited until 2028. He is still young. He could have finished his second term as Florida governor and then put his full attention towards running for president. Trump is unlikely to run again in 2028 if he loses this time, and he will be term-limited if he wins.

If Desantis had sat out in 2024 and endorsed Trump, he might have gotten the favor returned in 2028 and had the entire MAGA following behind him. And while that may still happen now that Desantis has endorsed Trump, it is not as likely. He took a big risk.

Can Desantis Bounce Back?

The failed 2024 campaign is going to stain Desantis going forward. He showed real weaknesses that will have to be addressed. And if Donald Trump holds a grudge for the perceived disloyalty of Desantis running against him, he might be in trouble.

However, Desantis can bounce back. Conservatives have raved about his record as the governor of Florida. He now has a few more years to build on that record. It would probably benefit him if he avoided the culture war nonsense and focused on actual policy to have something substantive to hang his hat on going forward.

Desantis should look into some media training. His social skills are lacking, and that is something that he has to correct if he ever wants to get into the Oval Office.

Ron Desantis took his shot and came up short. You often learn more about someone when they fail than when they win. Time to learn what kind of man he really is.