THE STATE
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) finds himself in a difficult position as former President Trump dominates the news cycle in the wake of his indictment.
The Florida governor is walking a fine line between wanting to knock Trump from first place and not alienating Trump’s voters, who are firmly against the indictment.
DeSantis condemned the Justice Department’s actions after news of Trump’s indictment broke last week, but he has since kept a low profile.
However, many Republicans say that DeSantis needs to take the opportunity to argue that he is more electable than the former president.
“The indictment speaks for itself though. These are serious national security issues. Is some of this politically motivated? Sure,” said Dan Eberhart, a DeSantis donor.
“The bottom line is that this consumed the first Trump presidency. It made good policy harder to enact and sustain. And if Trump is the nominee again, it will consume another four years,” he said. “DeSantis needs to make the case to voters that we can have the good conservative policies, the strong economic recovery, without all the drama.”
Some Republicans have slowly started to change their tune on Trump’s latest indictment, with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley saying Trump’s behavior was “incredibly reckless” if the indictment is true while also later suggesting she is “inclined in favor of a pardon” for Trump if she was president.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal that Trump faces “serious allegations” and that he “can’t defend what is alleged.” Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told reporters that it’s a “serious case with serious allegations.”
But, save for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, none of the GOP presidential candidates have seriously criticized the former president over the allegations waged in the federal indictment.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found about 8 in 10 Republican respondents believe that the federal indictment was politically motivated. A separate ABC News/Ipsos poll found close to half of respondents – 47 percent – believe it was a politically motivated indictment, including 80 percent of Republicans surveyed.
Even after what is now two indictments – and with more criminal investigations looming – Trump’s approval has barely budged.
Among Republican and Republican-leaning voters, 53 percent said they would support the former president in a GOP primary, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. That’s down 3 points from a survey in late May.
Last week, DeSantis responded to news of the indictment by calling it a “weaponization of federal law enforcement.” He also noted what he has said is a double standard between Trump and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. DeSantis further addressed the indictment in an interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt.
