According to various media sources, including the New York Times, Trump is increasingly seen by Republicans as a drag on the party’s prospects, and as this realization sinks in, the former President, who seems to be getting ready to announce his candidacy for 2024, is lashing out at fellow Republicans that he sees as threats. The objective seems to be to either discredit them as soon as possible, or to dissuade them from putting in a bid for the Republication nomination.
Just in the last few days Trump has indulged in a tirade against Florida Governor Ron De Santis, who won a second term in his state by a surprising margin of 20%, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin as well.
Trump derisively called DeSantis “an average REPUBLICAN Governor with great Public Relations,” arguing that the 44-year-old former congressman was “politically dead” when he first sought Trump’s endorsement in 2017, which the then-president tendered via Twitter.
Donald Trump has been infuriated by DeSantis’s unwillingness to state categorically that he would step aside so that Trump could challenge Biden for a second time. In his Thursday night statement, he criticized DeSantis for his “loyalty and class.” In the former President’s view, De Santis owes his status as the Republicans’ rising star completely to him.
After Trump endorsed him, DeSantis went on to win the Republican primary, before narrowly defeating the Democratic candidate, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, in the general election. On the way to insulting DeSantis, Trump sideswiped Gillum as well by calling him a “Crack Head”, a reference to the former mayor’s struggles with substance abuse.
Others may not agree that DeSantis owes his prominence in the party to Trump’s backing. Instead, they point to DeSantis’ performance in fighting Covid by resisting coronavirus lockdowns, school closures, masking orders and vaccine mandates, a stand that appealed to the conservative Florida residents as well as those throughout the U.S.
At a Pennsylvania rally for the Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, Trump repeatedly referred to DeSantis as “DeSanctimonious,” in his familiar habit to derisively “brand” his rivals. And when Dr. Oz lost the election, in order to deflect blame from himself, and somewhat as an indication of his frail state of mind, Trump blamed his wife Melania for having urged him to endorse the quack television doctor.
Not content with trashing DeSantis and his own wife, the next day Trump poured his vitriol on Youngkin, another politician who might turn out to be one of his competitors for the presidency in 2024.
On Friday morning Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, his proprietary social media network where he can verbally swing from the chandeliers with impunity, “Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?) in Virginia couldn’t have won without me,” As we all know by now, Trump hates the Chinese and never misses an opportunity to inflame feelings against them, so despite the fact that Youngkin is of German origin, he dog-whistled to his MAGA followers to imply otherwise. Also not surprising, given his level of cultural ignorance and insensitivity, is that Trump confused Chinese with Korean names.
As with DeSantis, Trump suggested he was fully responsible for the governor’s unlikely political ascent. “I endorsed him, did a very big Trump Rally for him telephonically, got MAGA to Vote for him — or he couldn’t have come close to winning. But he knows that, and admits it,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
By moderating his rhetoric, Youngkin conspicuously kept his distance from rabid Republicans in order to appeal to Democrats during the general election. Most significantly, he distanced himself from the polarizing Trump.
“We’re going to have a whole new crop of Republicans come in and define a new way forward,” Youngkin said as the campaign was closing, an obvious reference to the GOP’s public struggles to move beyond Trumpism and Trump, but also a clear suggestion that it might be in the GOP’s best interests to do so.
Just as DeSantis is seen as representing Trumpian policies “without the crazy,” Youngkin is “a less combative and polarizing figure than DeSantis” and therefore both De Santis and Youngkin could hold more appeal to the large segment of suburban voters who find Trump too alienating and disruptive. Speculation suggests that knowing this, Trump is looking for a way to clear the field of the more dangerous rivals in order to enjoy another term as President.
On Friday night came the latest news from Arizona where the vote count confirmed that Senator Mark Kelly defeated Blake Masters, the Trump-backed Republican rival, putting Democrats within one seat of retaining control of the Senate.
This should set off alarm bells in the GOP–Arizona is one of the staunchest Red states, like most of those along the border — and help them realize that playtime with Trump is over.
