Sunday, January 21, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his 2024 Presidential campaign. He was formerly tapped as Donald Trump's primary opponent for the Republican nomination. Instead, he has completely halted his attempts and endorsed Trump.
DeSantis announced his decision on Twitter, saying the following:
“I am today suspending my campaign. Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear… Nobody worked harder, and we left it all out on the field.”
This surprising turn of events leaves former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as Trump’s only opposition. But what are the reasons behind DeSantis' decision?
First, DeSantis' “Never Back Down” campaign ended as chaotically as it started. From a widely ridiculed Twitter livestream riddled with technical issues to canceling appearances in key states, it was clear that the end was near.
One of the main issues that he encountered was a poor leadership structure within his campaign team. This led to a loss of momentum, making it challenging for him to gain more support and ultimately weakening his chances of success. Additionally, DeSantis struggled with name recognition, an unappealing platform, and trouble raising funds, which made it even more difficult to sustain his campaign. Mass layoffs and backlash from controversial social media videos featuring notorious German WW2 symbols alienated even his most conservative supporters.
It didn’t help that Trump – who famously racks in funding and popularity among their constituents – repeatedly ridiculed DeSantis and questioned his credentials on the campaign trail. This gap in popularity was obvious during the Iowa caucuses on Monday, January 15, where DeSantis' poor showing (nearly a 30-percentage-point loss to Trump) made it impossible for him to continue his operation effectively. Even after campaigning in all 99 Iowan counties, DeSantis barely scraped second place.
DeSantis staked his "Never Back Down" campaign on a flawed theory. This theory entailed that Trump's fanbase would be split into three, forcing them to scatter to less polarizing nominees. According to The New York Times, he split the group into "those who would always back Mr. Trump, those who would never back Mr. Trump, and those who liked Mr. Trump and his policies but were ready for a new standard-bearer for the party, perhaps someone younger and carrying less baggage." Once DeSantis won over the third group who liked Trump but wanted someone with a cleaner reputation, the rest would follow. Unfortunately, that theory only stands if DeSantis actually had a "cleaner" reputation and – let's face it – was Donald Trump. It would take a real wildcard for Trump supporters to stop supporting Trump.
DeSantis also had a planned appearance in New Hampshire that was canceled. After withdrawing from the presidential race, DeSantis changed his position and decided to support Trump instead. He recognized Trump as the Republican nominee and believed that he had a better chance of winning the presidency than Joe Biden.
Governor Ron DeSantis' endorsement of Donald Trump was a significant decision that will have lasting implications for his career. His decision showed his loyalty to the Republican party and its values, even if it meant temporarily setting aside his own aspirations. However, it also raised questions about his principles and damaged his reputation among some voters. Ultimately, time will tell how DeSantis' decision will affect his politics in the future.
