Since Donald Trump descended the escalator at Trump Tower in 2015 and declared he was running for president, he has been the unquestioned alpha dog of the Republican Party. But now he has some company. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, already a rising star in the GOP, has seen his profile soar in recent weeks after calling the left's bluff by sending illegal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard. Recent polls show that while Trump still leads among GOP voters for 2024, DeSantis is closing in. At the same time, some in the party are questioning if it's time to move on from Trump for '24.
All of this has led to new questions about a possible divide forming in the GOP ahead of 2024, or if the party can handle two "rock stars" at the top of its food chain. Jack Cashill, political writer and commentator, posed that question in a new column. "Trump knows 2024 is his last chance to get back in the White House, but DeSantis knows that he can only win if he does not alienate Trump's base," says Cashill. "So each of them has to play it very carefully."
One solution supported by many in the party is a Trump/DeSantis ticket in 2024, leading to a DeSantis nomination in '28. But Cashill pokes holes in that theory. "I think the odds of a Trump-DeSantis ticket are negligible, I can't foresee that happening," he tells KTRH. "It is not in DeSantis's best interest at all."
That doesn't mean we'll see a Trump-DeSantis primary battle, either. "I don't think it will turn into a Trump-DeSantis head-on clash...I think DeSantis is too savvy for that to happen," says Cashill. "I think if Trump announces for the presidency, DeSantis will not run."
There is another possibility. "The ideal scenario among many conservatives---people who voted for Trump---is that DeSantis would run with Trump's backing," says Cashill.