Donald Trump vs Ron DeSantis
Who should liberals fear more?
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With rumors of a rift between the de facto GOP leader, Donald Trump and Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, and a recent survey showing that DeSantis was a more popular candidate for the 2024 presidential race among Republicans, I figured that now would be a good time to compare these two men.
I am writing from a liberal perspective. I don’t care for either of them, myself, but it’s interesting to speculate who would be potentially the worst for Democrats to deal with in a future presidential election.
For sure, there is a lot of speculation as to whether Donald Trump will run for the 2024 election. While many expect that he will stand, there are no certainties. If he does, then it’s very difficult to see any other GOP candidate standing against him in the primaries, DeSantis or otherwise. However, if there’s one thing that we know about Trump, it’s that he’s unpredictable. He may decide against running, or he may suffer bad health, get bogged down with legal problems, or suffer another unexpected setback.
If we assume that Trump doesn’t run, DeSantis would likely be a strong favorite to represent Republicans in an election. There’s little doubt that he possesses the ambition after a recent press conference in Tallahassee. Living in Florida, I’m well aware that DeSantis has an agenda and approach that would please Trump’s army of fans in a way that politicians such as Mitt Romney, or even Mike Pence simply couldn’t.
Below, I list and look at the respective traits that i believe make Trump and DeSantis strong.
5 Reasons Why Trump is Worse Than DeSantis
1. Trump is T.V.-savvy
Having spent decades in the public eye, including time on television hosting the popular show, The Apprentice, Trump knows how to work the media, particularly the news channels. He knows how to grab the headlines, and if things aren’t going his way, changing the focus of the news to something that suits him better.
2. He is social media-savvy
It’s fair to say that no president or politician has ever exploited social media the way that Trump has done. The barrage of tweets seemed to be particularly effective at setting the news and political agenda, as well as galvanizing his army of fans. Without bans from the social media giants, it would have continued uninterrupted.
3. The Trump swagger
Nobody else quite has the audacity of The Don. He does everything he can to show that he’s dominant, he’s aggressive, he’s confident, essentially the only alpha male in the room. While it might fail to impress his opponents, his fans love to line up behind him and see him as a force to be reckoned with.
4. His everyman image
No kale or veganism for Trump. He’s happier with a McDonald’s McMuffin, some meatloaf, burgers, or bacon and eggs. While it might make the dieticians shudder, it adds to the sense that he’s just an average Joe at heart. His direct style of speech adds to the sense that he’s not like the other political leaders.
5. He’s an outsider
This one is harder to pull off, now that he’s been president for four years, but for his base, he will always be the anti-politician that they crave. There’s even a pseudo-religion grown up around his image, with QAnon believers buying into the idea that Trump is a Messiah poised to wipe away the old elite of politicians, liberals, Hollywood actors, and other Culture War enemies.
5 Reasons Why DeSantis is Worse Than Trump
1. DeSantis is shrewd
While Trump can be crude and blundering at times, DeSantis has a clever and calculating intelligence. A high achiever, even before becoming the governor of America’s third most-populous state, DeSantis can boast being a Yale grad, gaining a Harvard law degree, being a Navy veteran, and a congressman. Unlike Trump, he’s a big reader and super smart.
2. He knows how to work politics
While playing the role of outsider well, Trump has struggled at times with the world of politics. DeSantis understands much better how to play the game and work with others. He is a master at using his brains and political skills to further his own ends. For sure, he’s an opportunist like Trump, but probably possesses more of the necessary skills.
3. DeSantis plays well to the Trump base
He uses the same Culture Wars, virtue-signaling tactics to rile up core supporters. These include the demonization of immigrants, as well as introducing legislation to clamp down on transgender athletes, Black Lives Matter demonstrators, and “Marxist” educators in colleges. While DeSantis certainly doesn’t have the same cult status with his followers as Trump, his reputation is growing.
4. He’s younger (and likely healthier) than Trump
At the time of writing, DeSantis is just 42 years old, the youngest US governor currently serving and the youngest elected in Florida for over a century. That gives him an advantage over the 75 year old Trump, who’s unhealthy lifestyle and age effectively means less energy, and lower mental agility. There is also the threat of health problems derailing Trump’s political career at any point.
5. DeSantis is determined and ambitious
His career path demonstrates a man with an enormous drive and his recent speech in Tallahassee shows he’s not content with stopping at being a state governor. Although he’s not a “touchy-feely” politician (his empathy levels can seem low to the extent of gross insensitivity), his steely nature could work as a positive in certain situations. Right now, Donald Trump describes Ron DeSantis as a friend, but will he be so generous if the governor becomes a threat to future leadership ambitions?
