New in PJ Media:
Ron DeSantis has until recently remained silent as Donald Trump has been flailing away at him, but it appears that his studied silence is over. First there was the sidelong crack in his remarks about Alvin Bragg’s looming banana-republic indictment of Trump: “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I just can’t speak to that.” And now Piers Morgan has asked him in an interview what the difference was between himself and Trump. DeSantis’ answer hit Trump at his most vulnerable points.
The Daily Wire reported Tuesday that DeSantis “made the remarks in an interview with Piers Morgan on Fox Nation’s ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’ that is set to air later this week.” When Morgan asked him to explain the differences between himself and Trump, DeSantis replied: “The approach to COVID was different. I would have fired somebody like Fauci. I think he got way too big for his britches, and I think he did a lot of damage.”
Hindsight is 20/20. There is no way to know whether or not DeSantis really would have fired Fauci. There is no doubt, however, that COVID-19 destroyed Trump’s presidency and ruined his chances for what looked at the end of 2019 to be certain reelection. Trump had initially dismissed the seriousness of COVID but backed down after a media firestorm and appeared to be trying to disarm his critics by aggressively pushing Fauci’s COVID agenda, including lockdowns and vaccines.
Even now, Trump has exasperated some of his supporters by refusing to acknowledge that the whole thing was a disaster: the lockdowns were ineffective and the vaccines something even worse than that. But Trump seems constitutionally incapable of admitting a mistake or even of acknowledging that he did what appeared to be the right thing at the time but that in the light of new developments, it doesn’t seem to have been the best decision after all. DeSantis is jabbing at Trump’s weakest point here, as the 2024 Republican front-runner’s primary constituency consists of people who were always skeptical about the vaccines or have come to regret their support for them, while Trump himself has remained steadfast in insisting that these ineffective and dangerous jabs were a tremendous boon.
DeSantis wasn’t finished, either. He proceeded to take aim at Trump’s other chief vulnerability, his apparent inability to hire people who will carry out his agenda, and his recurring tendency to support those who clearly oppose it. His recent support for Ronna Romney McDaniel’s reelection as chair of the Republican National Committee was a case in point, and then there is the long line of former Trump administration officials whom Trump himself has derided as stupid, venal, self-serving, and so on. All this leads inevitably to the question: Then why did you hire them?
There is more. Read the rest here.
somehistory says
Gov DeSantis is a smart, moral guy. He doesn’t get down in the gutter to fight.
And his answer to the name trump calls him is perfect.
I believe he would have fired fauci., and the ghoul, pretending to be a doctor, needs to be tried.
dazzleme says
Somehistory –
But is it going to take someone to get into the gutter to change things in this country???
Walter Sieruk says
After this vicious hoax of a “legal indictment” against Donald Trump, which is political persecution and malicious harassment all blows over , much later in time it will much in the annals of future history books certainly will, with honest and ethical historians who write only truth, will print what an outstanding good President Donald Trump was and that he just and fair man who stood for justice and accomplished must for the advancement of the United States in only four years in Office.
In contrast future good quality history books will reveal what a despicable and evil man President imposter Joe Biden was and how he did and still does everything wrong and terrible to tear down the United States and cause her to become a third world power.
So much so that the name of Joe Biden will rot in American history.
As the Bible informs its reader “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.”
Proverbs 11:7. [K.J.V.]
Kepha says
Trump is not a man whom I’d like my sister to marry. But he remains head and shoulders above anyone the Democrats might put forward. As for DeSantis, he has demonstrated able executive ability in Florida, and he has pointed out serious lapses in judgment Trump made in his hiring choices while president.
Also, I am not sure that Musk was right in saying that this transparently political NY prosecution of Trump could win Trump a landslide. The major media is simply too thoroughly sewn up with the Left, as are the legal profession and entertainment (which is far more influential than editorial pages). If the indictment is stillborn or, if it is made, and Trump ends up found not guilty (or, the case gets dismissed), the criminal label will still be stuck on Trump’s back, and will be touted everywhere from Boston to LA. Perhaps the only thing that might counter that would be for Bragg to be charged with prosecutorial misconduct.
I could go for either Ron or Don, but I lean towards Ron at this point.
dazzleme says
Kepha
Me too!
PRCS says
“at this point”
Me, three.
But, it’s still quite early in the election cycle. Plenty of time for others to come forth…..
࿗Infidel࿘ says
W/ all the troubles President Trump is having, he’s just being a moron by taking on DeSantis, who’s not even declared, and who’s just been governing Florida. I’ve long maintained that we should have 4 more years of Trump, followed by 8 years of DeSantis. Hopefully, he’s learned from his appointment disasters of the first term and will be more discerning in who he selects for every post, from VP to Ambassador to Moscow
I also don’t fault DeSantis for not saying anything. If he did, and did the opposite later, the media would be all over him like leeches. Also, when President Trump attacked him for something he may have done in college, it was the height of someone in a very fragile glass house throwing stones: they guy who joked about ‘pussy-grabbing’ in the Access Hollywood tapes trying to imply that he was a better man than a college freshman who had a few beers too many?
I’d still vote for Trump come the elections, but if they did manage to sabotage him by putting him in jail or somehow preventing him from being on the ballot, then of the current declared candidates, I’d vote for Vivek Ramaswamy. I’ve read his book ‘Woke, Inc’ and am impressed by the interviews he’s done so far
PRCS says
You asked me some months ago—when I refused to jump on the Trump train—who else I might consider (mentioning, as you did then, DeSantis).
While I voted for Trump twice, I do NOT support him at this time as Governor DeSancitomious would;–IMO–be a better president than an individual who is already resorting to ridiculous name-calling and ridiculous political ‘bar fights’.
But, to be clear–if DJT becomes the nominee–I will hold my nose and vote for him, as I don’t believe our nation can survive a second Biden presidency (or that of anyone else the Dems might put forth for that matter).
As you now note your impression of Ramaswamy (who Interests me, too), it’s for that reason that I’ll wait for things to shake out.
Samson says
I know no better than Nicky Haley. Why? Because her policy is true republican and is not an isolationist like Trump or DeSantis.
And if a republican is to be president elected he/she needs to have votes from democrats dissatisfied with the Biden administration.
Trump will not get these democratic votes and DeSantis will probably not either. But Nicky Haley might get such votes because she´s a person without scandals, a woman and have parents that are immigrants.
dazzleme says
Samson
No way Nikky Haley, too wishy washy.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Samson
Nikky Haley, John Bolton, Mitch McConnell belong to the old school neocon GOP which believes in projecting power everywhere, no matter how thin our troops are spread. Currently, US troops are there in ~150 out of 190 countries in the world. We need to pick a region – namely the Indo-Pacific, given that China, not Russia, is our #1 threat, and pull out of all the other places, such as Europe and Africa
The reasons that you listed for electing Nicky Haley are the ones that Dems would normally use – daughter of immigrants (although she chose to renounce her original faith Sikhism, thereby eroding her claim to an immigrant heritage), or a woman, which plenty of Republicans already are. Her real problem is that she’s well known as an establishment candidate, and is just marginally more palatable than Liz Cheney
If one supports the US involvement in Ukraine, keep voting the Dems. If one wants to cut the losses and focus on China, pick the GOP, w/ a candidate that recognizes exactly that
PRCS says
“Her real problem is that she’s well known as an establishment candidate”
Add, too, I’m not sure if she could go toe-to-toe with our greatest male foes.
kq6kq6kq6 says
I was hoping Trump will win the 2024 election. But after reading that he will abandon Ukraine to the Russians because it’s costly us a lot of money, I would rather see Nikki Haley in the WH because she would protect Ukraine.
Samson says
Yes, I agree to Nicky Haley. She´s smart, a true republican, no isolationist and maybe the only republican that can get democrats to vote for her (because she´s a woman and have parents that are immigrants).
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I’m all for Ukraine’s independence, but why is it in our national interests to put all out attention on Ukraine?
James Lincoln says
Infidel,
Your point is well taken.
The war in Ukraine (which would have never happened with Trump) is depleting both are military assets – as well as our bank account.
Western Europe should at least be reimbursing the United States for most of this.
OLD GUY says
Western Europe will never repay America. Our political leaders are always willing to support other countries around the world with our tax dollars, while our infrastructure and economy struggle. And the BIG question is what do we get for it. The world is dam sure not safer or more peaceful, and the potholes are getting worse. I’am not against helping others but we are Trillions of dollars in debt.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
In addition to what Old Guy said, what each of the Presidential candidates, including DeSantis, told Tucker was pretty insightful and a lot at variance w/ what the likes of McConnell, Graham, Liz Cheney et al say. DeSantis, for one, pilloried the idea of letting Russia and China be an alliance against the US. Other leaders were quite insightful as well::
– Vivek Ramaswamy pointed out that every weapon sent to Ukraine is one less weapon available against China, and that Beijing is the chief beneficiary of this war, and that the longer it runs, the more they stand to gain in terms of an advantage over the US. He also talked about the need to make the US less dependent on China at all levels
– Kristie Noem points out how America’s enemies have stopped transacting business in dollars, and are making their own currencies more transactable. Not just the enemies, even other countries like India and Indonesia noted what the West’s cancellation of Russia did, and have moved accordingly to make themselves sanction proof
Others, like Nikki Haley, John Bolton, Chris Christie either ignored Tucker, or simply offered platitudes, while Greg Abbott sidestepped the question by talking about putting Ukraine money on the borders, which is fine, but doesn’t address in any way what the policy w/o Ukraine would be
James Lincoln says
Excellent points OLD GUY and Infidel.
PRCS says
“Western Europe should at least be reimbursing the United States for most of this”
Absolutely!
I won’t demean European nations’ troops, as some really are top-notch. As it’s their respective governments that are holding them back, yes, reimbursements should be in order.
dazzleme says
Infidel
I definitely agree, why do we have to pay for Ukrainian independence. They don’t like us and I don’t like that their president warning us that we must give them money. I personally believe that our money is not being spent for their freedom. I think it is partly going in someone’s pocket.