On Sunday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) suspended his presidential campaign after realizing that there was no path to victory for him. It's a tough loss for those of us who saw him as the right Republican to take the reins from Donald Trump and lead us to victory.
But this is no time to be bitter. We have a country to save, and that is more important. So from one DeSantis supporter to the others, I have some words of advice to get us through this campaign and save our country from the radical left.
Remember that Trump’s attacks were just politics.
I often criticized Trump for his merciless attacks on DeSantis. They began as soon as rumors surfaced that DeSantis was considering a presidential campaign, and Trump never let up. I didn't like it either, but the truth is that this is what presidential primaries are like.
We've seen bitter primaries on both sides of the aisle — perhaps none more bitter than the 2008 Democratic primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Yet Hillary Clinton licked her wounds and did what she needed to do to help him get elected. Obama, in turn, campaigned for her in 2016.
Trump immediately ditched the negativity and praised DeSantis after he dropped out. When Nikki Haley drops out, he'll do the same with her. This is politics. To quote "The Godfather": "It's not personal. It's business."
Stop indulging in a Trump-DeSantis ticket fantasy.
I still believe that DeSantis will be president one day. I've thought so ever since I saw him speak at CPAC a few years ago. In theory, there's a lot to be gained by a Trump-DeSantis ticket, but it's not going to happen, so get over it.
For starters, DeSantis has said he doesn't want to be vice president, and he's not been wobbly about that in the least. But even that is a moot point because the 12th Amendment states that a president and vice-president cannot reside in the same state and still receive their home state's electoral votes. When George W. Bush selected Dick Cheney as his running mate in 2000, Cheney had to legally change his residency from Texas to Wyoming for the same reason — and after that bitter election, a group still challenged Cheney's residency in the legal system.
As the sitting governor of Florida, DeSantis isn't about to change his residency, and Donald Trump isn't going to change his residency back to New York or a different state to accommodate any running mate.
Don't pretend that DeSantis's candidacy wasn't a long shot.
Whether or not we admit this, the fact is that as long as Trump was in the race, DeSantis's candidacy was always a long shot. Not only was Trump essentially the GOP incumbent, but the Democrats' weaponizing the legal system against him caused a rallying effect behind him that not even the best campaign could have overcome. And DeSantis's campaign did as good a job as any in those circumstances.
But once Trump was in the race, he had a lead in the polls and never lost it. Had DeSantis been the only challenger to Trump, things may have been different, but only marginally. The race may have been more competitive, but Trump would have always been favored. Unfortunately, there were too many other candidates auditioning for a role in the next Trump administration, and that split the Trump-alternative vote.
Running in 2024 will make it easier for him in 2028.
On top of that previous point, that doesn't mean that DeSantis's campaign was a waste of time. He took a shot, believing he could convince Trump voters he could deliver the best of Trumpism without the baggage or legal troubles. It turned out that 2024 wasn't his time, but running in 2024 will make running in 2028 that much easier for him.
DeSantis has received more national attention now, and talk of a 2028 presidential run is already happening in the media. Why? Because he is the future of the GOP. But by the time 2028 rolls around, DeSantis will no longer be the governor of Florida. He'll have a good foundation to build a national campaign despite being out of office when he runs again.
Voting for RFK Jr. is not the answer
One of the most horrifying things I've seen on social media since DeSantis dropped out is DeSantis supporters saying that if Trump doesn't pick DeSantis as his running mate, they'll vote for RFK Jr. A Trump-DeSantis ticket isn't going happen (see above), so they're basically promising to vote for RFK Jr.
What is the point of that? I've seen some say that Trump is just a RINO and that they can't vote for a RINO. So they'll vote for a radical leftist instead? Yes, that's what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is. And even if he wasn't, are they really willing to sacrifice the future of this country out of loyalty to one man? I think loyalty to any politician is dangerous, whether it's to Barack Obama, Donald Trump, or Ron DeSantis.
In the end, you have to vote in the best interests of the country with the choices that you have, and a vote for anyone but Donald Trump means that Democrats will have another four years running the White House. A second Joe Biden term leaves our country vulnerable to radical leftists who are desperately seeking to change the rules to make it easier for them to stay in power. They tried it when Biden took office, and they'll try it again the next opportunity they get. Don't give them that opportunity. It's time to rally behind Trump.
