As Ron DeSantis slowly makes his way toward replacing Donald Trump as the Republican choice for president, Trump can't help but cry ‘stealing' again. After his failed cries and rants that the 2020 election was stolen, it seems Trump has a new target. According to Rolling Stone, now he’s claiming DeSantis is ‘stealing’ his style.
At least three people who’ve spoken to Trump about the Florida governor last year and in more recent months confirmed to Rolling Stone that Trump has repeatedly whined about DeSantis copying his style, in some instances mocking him for doing so.
“There was this time, maybe a year ago, that I remember him making fun of [DeSantis] for doing similar hand gestures and motions,” one of the individuals told Rolling Stone. “He called it ‘stealing’ from him and [to paraphrase] described it as a lame impression of Trump.”
The sources added that when Trump saw clips of DeSantis speaking at public events over the past 18 months, he mocked the Florida Republican for appearing to imitate his body language, movements, and speaking rhythm. One of the sources even said Trump joked at a dinner event earlier this year that he should sue DeSantis for copyright infringement.
According to Rolling Stone’s sources, members of Trump’s family have also told those ‘close’ to them of the pattern. The article says Donald Trump Jr. allegedly noted that after tweeting about a right-wing trend from his @DonaldJTrumpJr Twitter account, that very topic was incorporated into some of DeSantis’ talking points. As a result, the Trump family is led to believe that DeSantis and his staff likely look to their Twitter accounts for inspiration.
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Not to validate Trump’s ‘concerns,’ but others have taken note of how similar DeSantis’s actions have been as of late, including several members of MAGA nation.
“DeSantis certainly mimics Trump’s style, rhetoric, and body language. Desantis’ bombastic style seems to be ripped straight out of a Donald Trump style guide. Trump proved that Republican voters want a fighter, and Desantis aims to deliver,” said Dan Eberhart, chief executive at Canary and a longtime GOP donor.
Eberhart, who has made generous donations to Trump, told Rolling Stone he’d now rather support someone like DeSantis in a potential 2024 race.
Several polls have found that DeSantis is beginning to replace Trump as a Republican favorite. Political watchers have even noted that Trump may have difficulty with majority support in a 2024 Republican primary campaign due to DeSantis.
According to Florida Politics, national polling conducted between Aug. 18 and Aug. 22 reveals that Trump would get just 46% support in a primary against DeSantis and a field of other Republicans.
But if DeSantis is really mimicking Trump—why?
Outlets like Popular Information have detailed several reasons why DeSantis not only acts like Trump but manipulates the media.
The reality is DeSantis needs to appeal to Republican voters— many of whom strongly supported Trump and his claims of a stolen 2020 election. By validating these claims and acting like the person they wished was still their president, DeSantis is winning their vote.
Think about it this way: Psychologically, you are more likely to connect with someone instantly if they are similar to your friends. It brings comfort when you are used to something, and thus a new friend who is similar to your others will connect with you faster.
Now let's apply that to politics. If you like a candidate and how they are, then if a similar candidate appears you are likely to also favor them. It seems DeSantis is using this logic to appeal to Trump’s supporters. He’s already an infamous Republican; the only thing stopping him from further GOP voting support is Trump’s die-hard group of minions. Once he has a hold of them, though, his chances at a win are higher.
Not only is DeSantis ‘acting’ like Trump during his appearances, but he is validating claims Trump has made and manipulating the media as well—all to further his own campaign. By making extreme comments he knows Trump supporters will eat up, DeSantis makes headlines and wins over more Trump-supporting households thanks to the media exposure.
Focusing on alleged voter fraud, ‘illegal immigration,’ critical race theory, and other issues Trump supporters rally behind has allowed DeSantis to quickly increase his approval rating. It’s just funny that Trump has noticed his gestures and speaking style more than his ‘stealing’ of thoughts and platforms.
Now we are left to wonder if Trump will take complaints of ‘identity fraud’ further. Will he create a ‘Stop the Steal’ 2.0, this time focusing on DeSantis instead of the election?
We’ll have to wait and see whether Trump’s whines go beyond his inner circle.
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