- The former Trump staffer joined the pro-DeSantis super PAC as the primary season heated up.
- The Trump campaign is reportedly planning to blacklist anyone who works for DeSantis, but that may be an empty threat.
- Regardless of who is backing whom, one expert said the competition would come down to the candidates themselves.
More Republicans are lining up to elect Florida Governor Ron DeSantis president in 2024.
DeSantis has yet to formally launch his campaign, but Trump has already struck out, frequently criticizing former allies, denouncing his track record as governor and praising his popularity. polls show that Trump, who declared his 2024 campaign in November, is ahead of DeSantis for the Republican nomination.
So far, only Trump and Nikki Haley have officially entered the race.But in the 2020 election, almost All candidates declared by May 2019which means DeSantis’ announcement could be coming soon.
As the feud between the two heats up after DeSantis recently thumped Trump over a possible indictment, the time is fast approaching for Republican insiders, including staffers, strategists and donors, to choose between them. I’m here.
‘It’s time to make a choice,’ said source close to Trump real clear politics last week. “If you’re going to work for Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, you’re not going to be working for the Trump campaign or the Trump White House.”
In recent weeks, several former Trump staffers have joined DeSantis’ team. Ken Cuccinelli, who served as Trump’s acting deputy director of Homeland Security from 2019 to 2021, launched the pro-DeSantis super PAC, Never Back Down, earlier this month, in an interview with Fox News. Cuccinelli called DeSantis “the strongest Republican available.”
Erin Perrine and Matt Walking, Trump’s top communications adviser for the 2020 campaign, also attended the Super PAC. “Trump was the president we needed eight years ago, but in order to make America great again, our movement has to win not lose, never back down, fight smarter and outdo ourselves. We need a disciplined leader who puts mission first, and in each, Governor Ron DeSantis is the strongest option.”
But while Trump is known for being demanding, Loyaltythe Republicans who ultimately endorse DeSantis may not be taking too many risks.
“I don’t think he would blacklist anyone,” Alison Dagnes, a professor of political science at Shippensburg University, told Insider. “What Trump really likes is when someone bends his knee to him, when someone puts their tail between their legs and comes back and apologizes.”
Dagnes pointed to several instances where Trump went from embracing Republicans and publicly denouncing him to being a strong supporter of him. Senator Lindsey Graham House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
As a particularly stark example, Trump endorsed and campaigned for current Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, who was strongly anti-Trump before becoming a supporter. At a rally in Vance in September, Trump acknowledged his past criticisms but said they had moved on, saying, “JD is kissing my ass. He wants my support so much.” I am,” he added.
Dagnes said Republican insiders know this about Trump and could easily return to praising the former president if DeSantis loses the nomination.
“What is clear is that they really, really don’t want him to not only run but win. I will swear allegiance to him when I do.” She added that they were risking nothing by supporting DeSantis.
It’s not uncommon for an aide to work for another politician, he said, even joining another campaign after the first candidate he worked for dropped out of the race. Matt Terrilla partner at Firehouse Strategies and former chief of staff for Senator Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Terrill told Insider that the outcome of the election ultimately lies in the hands of the candidates, not the staff behind them. I don’t really care who works for which campaign. This is what Trump demonstrated when he won with little established support in 2016.
“To be clear, the advisors, the staff, the ground games, it’s all important,” he said. “But ultimately it’s the candidates who will win or lose these elections.”