I think he has no intention of running in 24. He’s just romancing the donors for 28 and running interference for DJT.
I think he wants his kids to be older and his wife to be clear of cancer longer before jumping into the deep end.
But somebody has to be a “Plan B” if Trump can’t go. And right now DeSantis seems to be the only one who comes close to Trump.
Interesting. The political world would be shocked if he decided to sit this one out. Everything I see points to him running. But I see three scenarios:
1) He runs hard against Trump. Eviscerates him for warp speed. Plays the age card. Joins McConnell as a pro-war guy. He loses spectacularly and his political career is over.
2) He runs and debates the issues intelligently aside Trump on the stage. They compliment each other. When it becomes clear he can’t beat Trump, he joins him on the ticket.
3) He doesn’t run. Completes his term in ‘26. Then he is the clear leader for the ‘28 nomination.
The problem with 3) is that Trump/DeSantis has a much better chance of beating the cheat than Trump/Lake, which some will perceive as just too MAGA.