Republicans, what do you think? A replay of Donald Trump in 2024 or should we give Ron DeSantis a try?

So, after a tough election day last week across much of the country where Republicans were expected to do much better, despite some advising him to the contrary, and some even blaming him for the GOP not doing as well as he should have, President Trump announced his re-election yesterday. And not everyone is excited.

Has the GOP run it’s course with Trump, or can he excite Republican voters to put him back in the White House? At the same time, some look to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as an attractive alternative, including members of the Texas GOP:

Read that here.

Could DeSantis bring some of the party back who took a pass on election night (in both 2022 and 2020)?

Or are we better off giving Trump another go?

The floor is yours.

65 thoughts on “Republicans, what do you think? A replay of Donald Trump in 2024 or should we give Ron DeSantis a try?”

  1. I think it’s dangerous to assume that those are the only two choices, for two reasons:

    1) 2024 is a long ways off, and one or both (Trump and DeSantis) may withdraw or be forced to withdraw from the campaign; and

    2) The eventual Democrat candidate may have a significant effect on voters’ willingness (read: overcome previous objections) to vote for either Trump or DeSantis (or another GOP candidate).

  2. 100% on the Trump Train for 2024.

    Even if he partners-up with Thune.

    Most important part of last night’s speech was the bit about “the pause”.

    Read between the lines of that segment of his speech ..

    DeSantis, in my opinion, is a deep state operative who has not been activated.

    When they reign him, he’ll turn.

    I’m betting Trump has learned.

    We’ll see.

  3. Simply put, Trump can’t win the general. Independents don’t like him. DeSantis has proven he can lead and he can win, this one is a no-brainer.

      1. My only complaint on Trump is he’s almost 80.

        Thune supports McConnell who is almost 80. It’s JT’s turn.

        Pelosi, Schumer, Biden… 80’s.

  4. DeSantis but it won’t matter for us in SD. The party bosses let a few states select the nominee for the GOP and the rest of us at the end of the process usually don’t get a voice. It would be nice if our Committeeman and Committeewoman would advocate for a better primary system where everyone is heard.

    1. At what point is Trump the establishment? He’s been the leader of the party since ’16.
      His advantage first time around was being the outsider. Now he’s a known commodity and only 3 years younger than Biden, both single term bound.

  5. Whether you love him or not, it is time to move on from Trump. At some point the goal of winning elections needs to prevail. The old adage of “the most conservative candidate who can win” should be adhered to. The results of the last 3 elections prove Trump can no longer win. It is time to find someone who can.

    That said, I also agree with the assessment that it is too early to say those are our only choices. At this point in the 2016 cycle (i.e. November 2014), the likely choices would’ve been Jeb Bush or Scott Walker…a lot changes as you get into an election cycle.

  6. desantis has about 75 percent of the chance ted cruz had in 2016. the late rush limbaugh declared cruz unelectable that year, and the logic applied to cruz fits desantis, pat buchanan or any other darling of the far right you can name. the logic supported mr trump in 2016 because his outsider pose had a broad base. now that he’s a known far right insurrectionist / narcissist his cat is out of the bag and his 2024 winning chance is zero too.

    1. i prefer nikki haley but the real republicans probably consider her a war mongering neocon by now.

    2. Cruz can’t be president, it is well established fact that he was not born in the United States and formerly a Canadian citizen. I recall there being a very big issue over birth certificates and the GOP taking the position that “natural born citizen” in Article II meant born in the United States. That birther movement couldn’t have been a disingenuous argument back

      1. cruz was the leading conservative primary choice early in 2016 before trump destroyed the field. cruz was the last candidate to fall. that’s history. that’s a fact, i have no idea what your response even means. whatever.

        1. My response wasn’t to say whether you’re right or wrong about DeSantis’s chances in any elections. Personally, I agree with you.

          I was just trying to make an joke/point that the REASON Cruz is unelectable is due to the GOP (or substantial portion) taking the position that according to the Constitution a person such as Cruz, who was born in another country, cannot be president due to the “natural born citizen” requirement. As a general proposition any GOP candidate will likley struggle in a general election because GOP primary voters seem to like “far right insurrectionist / narcissist” or put another way, most GOP primary voters don’t like establishment candidates that have broader appeal.

          1. you didn’t actually hear rush’s 2016 show that i’m referring to. the logic had nothing to do with birthplace questions, it had to do with cruz’s lack of traction outside of the christian coalition. desantis still has things to prove about whether he has any larger traction beyond his fan club; trump’s problem is that his constant appeal to the far right has erased his links to other parts of the electorate where he had to maintain a connection. it’s one of many things he has squandered. anyone who isn’t in the far right sees a very different trump than you all do.

              1. i am not much fun. i find things funny though. when i remember cruz being the last to fall, it was because he was the last champion of the far right, who loathed trump in 2016. it’s funny to me that now this group is the main group in trump’s current support base, and the others have moved on.

      2. Correct. It is also true, that there is an issue concerning Kamala Harris as well.

        Think back to her birth in the early 1960’s – her father was NOT yet a citizen of the United States, and her mother was not yet naturalized as a citizen of the U.S. since at the time of her birth, the jurisdiction of which her birth lies within would be that of the families domiciled country of origin, Being that her father was NOT yet a naturalized citizen of the United States, her birth takes place outside of the United States itself. Even the 14th Amendment would not take effect, cause of the fact her parent, most importantly her Father, was NOT yet naturalized.

        This means, Kamala Harris is NOT a natural born citizen of the 50 States. The origin of her birth would have taken place outside the United States jurisdiction.

        Based on the United States Constitution, that disqualifies even her from running for president, and that means, she is NOT qualified to be Vice President also. Cause remember in 1789 to 1810 – the Vice President was merely the runner up choice for “president”. The two go hand in hand as if they are one glove.

        When you do the research, you can establish the facts revolving around Kamala Harris’ birth itself.

        1. my point which both of you sidestepped, is that desantis today has about the same chance cruz’s campaign had in 2016 – which is nearly no chance to win a general presidential election.

        2. I am about as far from a fan of Mrs. Harris as you can be, but….. your …. Kidding…. Right? Please show where in the constitution, case law, or any non-tinfoil hat wearing legal articles that state in order for someone born on US soil to be an American citizen, both parents have to be citizens. Or that someone on US soil is not subject to US jurisdiction. It must be some pretty strong cool aid if you really believe what you typed there.

    3. during the course of this i misspoke on the 2016 gop primary. so – as trump used hilary’s oppo research to eliminate bush and rubio and the others, his brutal winnowing of the gop itself won trump independents, fiscal conservatives and social conservatives, a big primary constituency. at the end it was just cruz, who kept christian conservatives on his side due to trumps moral failings, and cruz got a last minute boost from gop leaders, who loathed cruz but wanted one last stand to stop trump. it ended up ruining cruz’s ‘outsider’ branding, and he fell as well. rush’s argument to cruz supporters about cruz’s insurmountable issues was never put to the full test. but it was the best piece of conservative triangulation i ever heard.

    1. You mean, TRUMP is the only republican upholding and honoring the COnstitution, the sovereignty of each of the states, and your natural rights. Of course, the establishment would hate him, and half the population is beholding to some means of federal subsidy, tax credit, benefit.

  7. All of Trump’s election denying shenanigans have done nothing but turn away swing voters and moderate Republicans. All of his election denying candidates lost, costing us the Senate. Enough of these unhinged carpetbaggers, DeSantis should show him the door.

      1. What is the deal with this position? Promoting this is nothing more than russian propaganda. Funding ukraine to woop our adversary is about as good as it gets. Letting Russia win just means we are going to end up spilling more American blood and I’d rather not get to that point. The amount of money is barely worth getting upset about for what we are getting out of it. Proving Russia is a paper tiger and sending them back another 50 years.

        1. You’re the one spreading propaganda. “Letting Russia win” won’t spill American blood. Americans funding Ukraine to spill Russian blood will cause Russia to spill American blood. World wars start because nations don’t mind their own business.

    1. The antifederalist that increased the deficit… got it. Almost as much of an oxymoron as Obama care.

    1. Agreed. If anyone thinks those other Rs lost fair and square in AZ, MI and PA (and we’ll see about GA), have their heads in the sand…

      1. I would love to see sources/evidence to back up these claims. I’ve looked, but google must be hiding them. You have links?

  8. DeSantis wouldn’t have become governor without Trump. Who was the First Leader? If they will steal it from Trump then they will steal it from DeSantis if he is any real opposition.

  9. Who will DeSantis bring in that makes up for the millions that will only vote for Trump? Don’t underestimate the well deserved scorn many have for the GOP establishment. DeSantis only makes sense if he can make up for that lost margin.

  10. Twice I held my nose and voted for the narcissistic, 5th grade vocabulary, bully due to Clinton and Biden being worse. Will leave that oval blank if he bullies his way into the nomination with his despicable junkyard antics.

  11. I supported Trump for 2 elections. He did a great job, however he was abrasive. He will be 80 at election time and 84 at the end of it. The Democrats will dump Biden and will run someone young. Old will not beat young, especially after brain-dead Biden. It is time to go with a new group. Pelosi, Schumer, McConnell, Biden and Trump’s time is over. We need someone with Trump’s philosphy, but not his personality. My money is on DeSantis. Nikki Haley is great but she can’t get the nomination. With 2 years to go, DeSantis is the hero of the moment.

    1. This.

      I would argue one of the primary issues with Trump running again is that he isn’t much younger than the person currently in the office whom we all view as challenged by his age.

      Elections are about the future. When I talk to candidates, I counsel them that people want their elected officials to be inspirational and aspirational. We need a candidate who represents where we want to be in 4 years. While Trump talks about making America great again, or saving America, he hasn’t articulated how he’s going to accomplish that as of yet.

      UHeep, I’d disagree with you about McConnell.. he’s far sharper than he’s given credit for. While Trump was in office, whether Trump was distracted or not, McConnell pushed forward hard with judicial nominations with a singular focus. We have him to thank for a Supreme Court that now looks as it does.

  12. To his credit, Trump nominated and got confirmed three constitutionalist justices, reformed taxes, pushed deregulation, got control of the border, significantly degraded ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and cinched normalization deals between Israel and the Gulf states, among other things.

    But his character flaws—narcissism, lack of self-control, abusive treatment of advisers, his puerile vendettas, and his inability to conduct himself in manner that the public expects of a president disqualifies him from serious reconsideration.

    1. Fred your spot on with your comment. I tried to watch him the other night and his demeanor is just tough to stomach, but his historical performance of his past accomplishment will be tough to beat. To the point I know a lot of my friends would vote for him, but we would have to hold our noses when we did it. It’ll be tough for him to get by the independents/moderates especially if the the Democrats’ find a real gem, who would also have to appeal to the independents/moderates.

  13. The Dims have election theft down to a fine art. So it will not matter who runs. I know the host is still in fantasy land and along with the rest of SD political leadership denies there was any theft in 2020, how do you feel now??? You people are clearly math challenged, at least you don’t have a clue about statistics.

    That said, Trump has had his chance and he blew it. No mulligan for him.

    1. Who’s really in fantasy land if you have no proof of any election theft? This talk only suppresses Republican voter turn out. Are you actually a Leftist 5th columnist sowing dissent and confusion?

  14. Let’s review.

    He lost the popular vote in 2016. He lost the House in 2018. He came up 7 million short in 2020 and then lost control of the Senate with his Georgia antics. That brings us to this latest debacle. The 2022 “red wave” that didn’t happen.

    TRUMP 2024

  15. Trumps policies were sound and our country was doing great under his watch. I voted for him twice and if he is the nominee, I will vote for him again. However, regardless of what each persons personal feelings are, he was extremely divisive. Was the media partially to blame for that, absolutely. But that makes no difference because the publics view is the publics view regardless of where that view comes from and it wont be changed at this point. If Trump is the Republican nominee, the Democrats can run a wet dog and win. We will lose. There are a whole lot of independents and moderate republicans that simply will not vote for him. And he will need those votes to win. If Republicans want a chance at the White House, the nominee has to be someone other than Trump.

    DeSantis would be a much, much better candidate. He also has the “no BS” attitude that Trump was popular for. However, DeSantis has much more tact and class in the way he goes about things. He is a proven leader who has accomplished some really great things in Florida.

    I have been publicly vocal about my dislike of Governor Noem. However, my issues with her stem from the means she uses to accomplish her political goals but I have no issues with her political ideology. While many of her political tactics simply don’t belong in SD, they are ripe for DC. I truly do believe that she would be an excellent choice for VP. A DeSantis/Noem ticket would be extremely hard for any Democrat(s) to beat.

  16. IF TRUMP is calling out Desantis, let’s remember, he does NOT call people out for no reason, there is a reason. THere is something in Desantis that Trump sees, and it could very well be that the “establishment” is gravitating to him cause he is most like them, rather than Trump, who is “Anti-Federalist” more in line with Patrick Henry and George Mason.

    Research Desantis voting record, his policy’s in Florida, he is NOT the ultra conservative, traditionalist, constitutionalist that most think he is…He is a typical Republican

    1. Mr. Zitterich, you are a swell car fixer. You will never be the mayor of that town. You and Mr. Trump have some realities to come to terms with.

  17. If Trump can curtail his silly name calling and braggadocio, he may be a good candidate, but I doubt that is in his wheelhouse. I’d rather have DeSantis as the candidate as he has much of the same principles and policies and none of the baggage.

  18. De Santos too snarly and angry. Public is burned out on Republican anger and alliance with violent groups. Republicans need a candidate who is “warm and wonderful”, inspirational and aspirational, or their decline will continue.

  19. I’m not going to read one post here before putting down my thoughts on this really big deal. A big deal is one with implications past the next few years. This is a really big deal. If Trump is all about making America great again he will concur that his brand of Unitarian leadership is toxic. His base is large certainly but the anti-Trump base includes all the Dems, most of the Indy’s and a small percentage of Repubs. You cannot win a national election in this mode regardless of your message.
    A few reasons why: first big negative was signing the $2.3 T Covid relief spending bill which allowed all the Blue states to shut down private industry while funding all government thereby killing small businesses, the second was having a rally on January 6th hoping something changes in election numbers thereby giving the Democrats all the fodder they needed to keep the negative portrayals eternal, and going way back to that outrageous debate performance where he acted like a school yard bully against an old man truly not fit to be president but not allowed the time to show it on a national stage. That turned off more voters than all the other missives put together.
    DeSantis on the other hand lead Florida with decisive leader ship and a quantitative respect for everyone involved in keeping Florida an open state for not only business but life. He is an incredible family man and has overcome near tragedies with positive outcomes. And being a decorated military veteran he understands teamwork.
    If Trump truly wanted America to be the best it could be he would get behind Ron DeSantis and gather up all the Trump votes and push them towards DeSantis and agree to help the DeSantis team in any way possible. At that point it becomes impossible for any Democrat candidate to win the next presidential election. The midterms have proven one thing and that is that the Democrats really don’t care what condition their candidate is in for they will vote for that person.

    1. Might I remind you of Herschel Walker? As poor a candidate as has ever run for office, yet Georgia Republicans voted for him in large enough numbers to cause a run-off.

  20. Biden was the worst Dem candidate since George McGovern and Trump lost to him. Say the race was stolen? Who cares? Trump should have won in a landslide against the mutt. Instead, he was already whining about unfair elections in appearances a year before the vote: pretty much telling everyone he didn’t think he’d win.

    He beat himself. Next . . .

  21. Mr. Trump could, and I’m just sayin…, push all his votes towards Ms. Noem. Many of the out-of-state name-callers over at the out-of-state name-caller blog actually expect that to happen.

  22. Trump has too much baggage. It’s an iffy proposition with him on the ballot as he divides the electorate. We need an uniter and I think DeSantis is the ideal candidate. He has the same policies as Trump without the braggadocio and silly name-calling.

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