Republicans, Don’t Stoop and Smooch

Donald Trump has channeled his inner demons and decided to mock Ron DeSantis on the campaign trail 3 days before the midterm elections. Trump proves over and over again how he is the antithesis of a team player. Can you imagine Tom Brady publicly mocking a teammate on the eve of the Super Bowl? Can you imagine Ronald Reagan publicly mocking a Republican governor on the eve of the midterm elections? No you can’t imagine that because whether you agree or disagree with Reagan’s politics, you knew he was classy enough to avoid acting like a petty tyrant. 

Donald Trump has been energized by the Republican renaissance taking place across our country. But Trump is mistaking the public’s distaste for Biden and inflation as support for himself. 

This is no surprise because Trump’s primary focus is on himself. If DeSantis were to win the Governor’s race by a small margin, Trump would assert that it was evidence that DeSantis can’t win nationally. Conversely, if DeSantis wins by a wide margin, Republican voters will continue shifting away from Trump towards DeSantis and other candidates. Trump, therefore, is trying to signal his hard-core supporters to not vote for DeSantis in order to lessen his victory margin. 

Fortunately, more and more Republicans are starting to shift away from Trump. They appreciate the positive things he did for our country. A conservative Supreme Court is one example. At the same time these voters believe Trump needs to step aside for a new generation of conservative leaders who have less negative reactions from independent voters. 

These conservative voters understand that the Democrats will not re-nominate Joe Biden to represent their party but will instead nominate a fresh face to the front of their party. Thus, Trump would not be running against a bumbling Joe Biden in 2024 but rather would face a much tougher opponent. 

Expect more disruption from Trump and his acolytes over the next few months. Just remember that Trump supports only people who kiss his buttocks. The ability to stoop and smooch should not be the test for Republican officeholders.