Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Ron DeSantis suspends presidential campaign, endorses Donald Trump
Florida Politics ^ | January 21, 2024 | A.G. Gancarski

Posted on 01/21/2024 12:39:15 PM PST by conservative98

The Governor is backing the former President after all.

Ron DeSantis is out of the presidential race and is endorsing Donald Trump.

In a video released Sunday, the Republican candidate suspended his campaign, after a distant second place finish in Iowa, an expected even more distant third place in the Granite State, and an uncertain path for delegates ahead.

“Now, following our second place finish in Iowa, we’ve prayed and deliberated on the way forward. If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it. But I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory accordingly. I am today suspending my campaign.”

The Governor’s exit makes the GOP contest a two-person race between Nikki Haley and Trump, who DeSantis endorsed without reservation.

“Now, it’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. They watched his presidency get stymied by relentless resistance and they see Democrats using lawfare to this day to attack him.”

“While I’ve had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden,” DeSantis said.

“I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican Guard of yesteryear: A repackaged form of warmed over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents. The days of putting Americans last of kowtowing to large corporations of caving to woke ideology are over.”

DeSantis’ effective exit from the race comes after a cycle that launched with great hype that went underfulfilled.

The Florida Governor’s glitch-filled kickoff on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk, an alternative to a more conventional launch at a baseball field in DeSantis’ hometown of Dunedin, was a metaphor for a campaign that arrayed more than $82 million of seed money transferred to his super PAC from his former state PAC, an effort that promised a 50-state strategy to clear the field, but did not count on the enduring popularity of the former President.

The Governor embarked on a strategy to get endorsements from state legislators in early states, such as Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, and visited many of these places, finding connections between their conservative governance and that enjoyed in Florida. But despite heavy spending and lots of travel, he didn’t get traction in polls.

He expressed regrets in recent weeks, suggesting that Trump’s legal issues derailed the race, and saying recently he should have done more “corporate media.”

There will be plenty of time for him to figure out what went wrong, but for now, the Governor will return to the job he was elected to perform.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Florida; US: New Hampshire
KEYWORDS: congratsjoebiden; congratswhinytrolls; desantis; magadeathcult; magatdscult; nowbackeddown; overanddone; thirdtime; trump
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-72 last
To: chajin

That’s largely true. There were some DeSantis supporters who were not anti-Trump, at least initially. But as Trump continued to grow in the polls, despite the lawfare or maybe because of the resilience he showed in the face of it, their concerns over that issue diminished as did their numbers, and what DeSantis was left with was a small core of never-Trumpers.


61 posted on 01/21/2024 4:49:36 PM PST by mbrfl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: bert
I understand your dilemma, and Drama with Ronnie, You drank the kool-Aid. Stay away from the bourbon, and razor blades.
62 posted on 01/21/2024 4:50:44 PM PST by MotorCityBuck (Keep the change, you are filthy animal! )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Alberta's Child
Yea. Whatever gets you through the night. He is no better than Biden. If you support this Clown your a fool.
63 posted on 01/21/2024 4:53:40 PM PST by MotorCityBuck (Keep the change, you are filthy animal! )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: MotorCityBuck
He is no better than Biden. If you support this Clown your a fool.

I can't understand your broken English. Who is "he" and "this Clown?"

64 posted on 01/21/2024 4:55:43 PM PST by Alberta's Child (If something in government doesn’t make sense, you can be sure it makes dollars.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: hcmama
Your Momz.
65 posted on 01/21/2024 4:58:26 PM PST by MotorCityBuck (Keep the change, you are filthy animal! )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: DoughtyOne

>>”You don’t run against someone whose views you share.”

That’s true. The only distinction DeSantis initially tried to make between himself and Trump was the claim that he would be more effective at implementing Trump’s agenda than Trump had been. (That argument eventually morphed into a more anti-Trump position when it failed to gain traction). But the insincerity and falsity of that argument was self evident when he decided to challenge Trump instead of joining him to fight the forces that had stymied Trump in the first place - lawfare, election fraud and the Uniparty, in general.

DeSantis offered no credible reason why he would be more effective at defeating these forces than Trump had been. And when he tried to minimize their impact by claiming Trump lost fair and square and hinting that Trump had somehow brought the lawfare tactics on himself, it was clear he had no intention, let alone ability, to fight the deep state. Add to that the GOPe donor connections you mentioned and DeSantis’s obfuscation and flip-flopping on key issues while on the campaign trail, and the mask was soon off.


66 posted on 01/21/2024 5:16:25 PM PST by mbrfl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: ChessExpert

Thank you!

Dear Lord, guide and strengthen us,
Tatt


67 posted on 01/21/2024 5:24:29 PM PST by thesearethetimes... (Had I brought Christ with me, the outcome would have been different. Dr.Eric Cunningham)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: mbrfl

I agree with your comments.

It also bothers me that when you say some of the things you
have to, you give support to the things the democrats have
been saying. You touched on one, the fair and square
election argument. It wasn’t, but here’s a high level
“Republican” confirming (for a lot of people) that the
democrats did nothing wrong, and Trump was truly trying to
overturn an honest election.

Some folks just don’t want to acknowledge that.

It really bothers me.


68 posted on 01/21/2024 7:16:51 PM PST by DoughtyOne (I pledge allegiance to the flag of the USofA & to the Constitutional REPUBLIC for which it stands.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: DoughtyOne

I agree. The fact the “Trump tried to overturn the election” has become the accepted truth in the MSM, whom a large number of people still trust and allow to do their thinking for them, is outrageous. The MSM is becoming less and less influential, but they still have an impact. It’s aggravating.


69 posted on 01/21/2024 7:26:08 PM PST by mbrfl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: mbrfl

Thanks, and I agree with the way you put it also.

The media and our education system needs to be addressed.


70 posted on 01/21/2024 7:50:25 PM PST by DoughtyOne (I pledge allegiance to the flag of the USofA & to the Constitutional REPUBLIC for which it stands.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: DoughtyOne

You have the worldview of a six year old. There is much disappointment in your future.


71 posted on 01/21/2024 8:36:15 PM PST by hopespringseternal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: conservative98

Both Trump or DeSantis would make a much better President than Biden or the vast majority of the Swamp. Never liked the bitter polemics on FR over this. Glad it can die down now.


72 posted on 01/22/2024 8:16:03 AM PST by AndyTheBear (Certified smarter than average for my species)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-72 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson