Of all the wild questions that have begun to hang in the air surrounding the 2024 election, perhaps none is as curious as to the situation on the GOP side of things.
Of particular speculation is the fate of Donald Trump, who has long been mired in myriad scandals and probes, each with their own unique liberal conspiracy as to how it’ll finally be the thing that takes Trump down.
But this is Teflon Don we’re talking about. Surely he’ll skate again, and find himself in the mix of the 2024 presidential election.
The only question now is: How big of a mix are we talking about? Will Trump cruise from presumptive nominee to just “nominee” without any resistance, or will there be a challenger?
Many have speculated that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is considering a bid himself, but the Sunshine State lawmaker didn’t give much of an answer when pressed during a debate.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis clashed with Democratic challenger Charlie Crist during their lone debate on Monday as the two traded barbs over key issues in the 2022 midterms, including abortion, immigration and the Republican governor’s presidential ambitions.
The hour-long debate in Fort Pierce, filled with supporters of both candidates, was mostly focused on DeSantis’s record over the past four years, including exchanges over the governor’s decision to fly almost 50 mostly-Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard or how he handled Hurricane Ian.
Here’s where it got testy:
Throughout the debate, Crist tried to push DeSantis to say whether or not he would serve a full four years if re-elected instead of running for president — but the Republican incumbent either did not answer or sidestepped the question.
In one of the most heated moments, Crist asked DeSantis to tell Floridians whether he’d carry out his full second term if re-elected, which garnered an awkward pause during the debate as DeSantis waited to answer.
“Why don’t you look in the eyes of the people of Florida and say to them, if you’re reelected you will serve a full four year term as governor. Yes or no,” Crist prodded. “Yes or no, Ron?” After several seconds, DeSantis responded: “I know that Charlie is itching to talk about 2024 and Joe Biden. But I just want to make things very, very clear: The only worn-out old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist.”
DeSantis’ potential run has caused a rift to form between he and former President Donald Trump, with the latter’s angst being indicative a plan to run again himself in 2024.
