Billionaires drawn to DeSantis after success in midterms
In a week when the former one-term president Donald Trump announced he would be campaigning to become the President of the United States in 2024, it seems that many who he may have relied on for support are jumping ship - including many of the Republican party's most affluent financial donors.
It was reported on November 19 that while Trump may continue to rely upon small donations from individual supporters, many long-term mega donors to the GOP are switching allegiance from Trump, to Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis.
Trump - a "three-time loser"
Notable among the super-rich who have historically supported Trump, is Ken Griffin, CEO of investment firm Citadel. Griffin has recently indicated that he will no longer be supporting Trump and will instead be pushing money in the direction of Ron DeSantis' political action committee.
Speaking at a recent investment forum in Singapore, Griffin had this to say about Trump:
"I'd like to think that the Republican Party is ready to move on from somebody who has been for this party a three-time loser."
DeSantis growing in popularity within the wider GOP
Fresh from his impressive victory in November's midterm election, when DeSantis beat Democratic challenger Charlie Crist by a double-digit margin, his popularity within the Republican party has been growing. A poll taken by YouGov immediately after the midterms reported that DeSantis was ahead of Donald Trump by 7% as the preferred presidential candidate. He also polled more favorably with women and the over-65s too.
Given that Trump had angered many at the core of the GOP by referring to DeSantis as 'Ron DeSanctimonious' on the eve of midterm voting, the poll comes as an even bigger blow to Trump whose popularity appears to be waning amongst all but those at the core of the MAGA movement.
Conservative media outlets desert Trump too
While Trump is renowned for liking to get publicity by any means possible, he may struggle to do so in future, particularly as many conservative news outlets appear to be reducing their coverage of his campaign efforts.
Many broadcasters - including Fox News - cut away from Trump's announcement of his candidacy as the former president delivered a low-energy, self-centered speech. Meanwhile, the New York Post referred to Trump's announcement with the headline "Florida man makes announcement" and consigned the story to page 26 of their publication.
Given the poor performance by many Trump-endorsed candidates in the midterms, including Kari Lake who lost out on the governorship of Arizona, it's easy to see why many GOP mega donors are more likely to be attracted to Florida's Ron DeSantis - a Republican with a proven history of success who doesn't appear to capitulate to the whims and moods of Donald Trump.
In fact, it seems like only the most fiercely-obsessive Republicans like Georgia's Marjorie Taylor-Greene appear to remain truly loyal to Trump. In MTG's case, that's likely due to her being hotly-rumoured as his presidential running mate!
Whether more donors follow-suit and drop their association with Trump, remains to be seen.
Do you think that Donald Trump's political career is over? Do you think that it's time that Ron DeSantis declared his intention to run for president, or should he be focused on delivering for Floridians right now? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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