Donald Trump Issues Creepy Warning to Ron DeSantis: I’ll ‘Handle It’ if he Tries to Run in 2024
Donald Trump has his eyes set on 2024. The reasons why he’s seeking re-election are numerous, but most likely center
Tristan Green
Donald Trump has his eyes set on 2024.
The reasons why he’s seeking re-election are numerous, but most likely center around his inability to lose or walk away from a situation without feeling like he had the upper hand. Additionally, he may be hoping that running for President can shield him somewhat from multiple legal headaches, although how effective that will be remains to be seen.
So when the former POTUS announced plans to run again in 2024, he likely expected smooth sailing to another candidacy – and perhaps a cake walk back to the White House.
Unfortunately for Trump, his path has been anything but smooth – and competitors are beginning to peek out of the woodwork, eyeing his throne for 2024.
One of those competitors is none other than Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a conservative darling with an expertise in waging culture wars.
Trump has issued DeSantis a dire warning, hoping to wave him away from a head-to-head in 2024.
See: DONALD TRUMP OMINOUSLY WARNS THAT HE HAS ‘INFO ON EVERYONE’ IN EARLY MONDAY RANT
Donald Trump Warns Ron DeSantis Away from 2024
Trump today on Desantis: “I got him elected, pure and simple. And there was no reason to go wild about endorsing him .. So, now I hear he might want to run against me. So, we’ll handle that the way I handle things.” pic.twitter.com/rBBYyUtnNW
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) January 16, 2023
Over the past year, as people have spent more time contemplating DeSantis as a serious competitor for the 2024 Republican candidacy, Trump has turned on his colleague.
They went from coolly polite to privately hostile – with Trump consistently warning the younger Republican to stay in his lane.
DeSantis has privately blasted Trump as well, calling him a “a moron unfit for office.”
Now though, Donald Trump wants it to be clear – DeSantis had better not run in 2024, or Trump’s going to have to take care of things, apparently.
Business Insider writes, “On Monday, former President Donald Trump phoned into the conservative podcast ‘The Water Cooler’ and issued a warning to his prospective presidential rival Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
‘So now I hear he might want to run against me. So we’ll handle that the way I handle things,’ Trump said.
Trump also claimed credit — as he has repeatedly done in the past — for DeSantis clinching the governorship in 2018, saying, ‘I got him elected, pure and simple.'”
Given Trump’s well-known penchant for calling in favors and intimidating people who would speak against him, the warning could be serious.
Who Wins in a Head-to-Head Between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis?
Ron DeSantis outperforms Trump in new poll, poses bigger test for Biden in 2024 matchup https://t.co/ITkS2d3oUO
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 17, 2023
Of course, no matter how much Trump might bluster and threaten – he’s not in charge of who is chosen to represent Republicans in 2024.
And it looks more and more unlikely as the weeks pass that the person Republicans choose will be Donald Trump.
A year ago, there was almost no contest.
Trump was still at the height of his power, and had both donors and colleagues still lined up neatly behind him.
But a series of blunders, never-ending controversies and legal woes have left Trump nearly persona non grata among Republicans.
When Republicans duked it out in the House for the Speaker vote, Trump tried to flex his power by telling Republicans to fall in line behind Kevin McCarthy.
It could have been a comeback moment for Trump, proving to the naysayers that he was still in charge and ready to clinch the 2024 nomination.
Unfortunately for Trump, he was roundly ignored. It took several more days for Republicans to choose McCarthy.
While McCarty and other Republican leaders gave Trump credit for the eventual win, it was such a slow and unimpressive showing that once again Trump ended up looking weak.
Combine that with the fact that Trump’s interference in the midterm elections seemed to create a disaster for the GOP, and he’s seeming less like a strong 2024 candidate.
Ron DeSantis, on the other hand, is at the pinnacle of his career.
Working with a supermajority in Florida, the staid and dour governor has been engaging in culture wars successfully over the past few years, his star rising even as Trump’s falls.
Although polls seem split, every day that passes seems more like a DeSantis 2024 future.
However, there are compelling reasons for DeSantis to avoid the 2024 showdown.
For one, he can hold off and let Trump battle it out with the incumbent Democrat – always an uphill battle.
He can continue to cement his power in Florida, grow his followers, and let the legal jeopardy play out with Trump.
On the other hand, the party could split irrevocably in 2024 without a strong candidate at the helm – so there are also compelling reasons for him to tackle Trump and see what happens.
2024 is certainly going to be a firestorm of a year among Republicans, and Trump is hoping to avoid it now by issuing his famous warnings.