When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was given the chance to defend Donald Trump Monday against an impending indictment, the choice he made was as subtle as a hammer to the head.
Amid spewing some GOP talking points about a “Soros-funded prosecutor,” DeSantis hit the theme of porn star hush money payments several times in his remarks. His dig at Trump was so flaming obvious, press conference attendees erupted in a round of laughter.
Then DeSantis committed a cardinal sin—suggesting Trump's fate just isn't that important.
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“I've got real issues I've got to deal with here in the state of Florida," DeSantis said, adding, "I’ve got to spend my time on issues that actually matter to people."
In case anyone missed DeSantis' fixation on hush money payments to an adult film actress, he proceeded to rub their face in the notion that Trump—the guy who gave voice to MAGA—is so last cycle.
Trump allies immediately seized on their opportunity to declare DeSantis a traitor to the cause.
"So DeSantis thinks that Dems weaponizing the law to indict President Trump is a "manufactured circus" & isn't a 'real issue,'" tweeted Don Jr., calling the DeSantis' response "pure weakness."
"Now we know why he was silent all weekend," Jr. added, "He's totally owned by Karl Rove, Paul Ryan & his billionaire donors. 100% Controlled Opposition."
Former Trump aide and pardon beneficiary Steve Bannon, speaking on his War Room podcast, called it a "weasel approach." Also, knock it off with the porn star stuff, noted Bannon: "Don't need to hear it from you, okay? Don't need to hear it."
My Pillow MAGA guy Mike Lindell, who was appearing on Bannon's show, put a finer point on it.
"First of all, DeSantis is the Trojan Horse we thought he was," Lindell remarked. "I just want to put that out there—how disgusting he is."
Lindell then declared that if prosecutors arrest Trump, he'll win the 2024 election "hands down."
Other Trump influencers weighed in too. Candace Owens likely landed the best blow, tweeting:
“Anyone surprised by this? Been saying this forever: DeSantis is a good Governor but he is establishment and will be a major disappointment to those who think otherwise. People disenchanted with Trump (sometimes rightfully) saw things in DeSantis that were never there.”
That tweet is designed to get right into the head of pro-Trumpers who liked the idea of DeSantis in theory because they really want “Trump with less baggage.” But if in practice, DeSantis is just an establishment reboot, forget about it.
Just for kicks, Trump decided to pile on with some homophobia, suggesting DeSantis might not be the tough guy Republicans think he is.
“Ron will probably find out about his sometime in the future when he’s unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman (or possibly a man!) with false accusations,” Trump posted on his media platform Truth Social.
Trump ultimately deleted that tweet so he could add in more slights, like “Ron DeSanctimonious,” but he left the “(or possibly a man!)” part, because landing an anti-gay jab was clearly important.
So the gauntlet has been thrown down. DeSantis, who has premised his entire candidacy on poaching MAGA supporters from their guy Trump, is now telling those same supporters that their hero being arrested just doesn't matter that much.
If GOP voter support for DeSantis is as "shallow" as someone like The Bulwark publisher Sarah Longwell thinks it is, this latest rift will really test their loyalties.
DeSantis has already been losing ground to Trump in recent polling. If Team Trump successfully paints DeSantis as a squishy traitor, it could be curtains for his nascent bid.
That's because even as DeSantis appears poised to alienate a lot of MAGA cultists, he’s also tacked so far right on issues like Ukraine that he risks losing his appeal to GOP voters who were eyeing him as someone seemingly more sane and responsible than Trump. That wouldn’t leave DeSantis much of a base to draw from.
It will be fascinating to see if DeSantis tries to smooth this over at some point within the next few days. Such a move would be both telling and truly pathetic—a tacit admission that Trump is still top dog and DeSantis is more MAGA minion than a viable Trump rival.
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