This is less about Trump vs. DeSantis than it is about which wing of the Republican Party will determine the 2024 nominee. The Republican elite, McConnell and his Senate cronies plus Fox News (Paul Ryan, Lachlyn Murdoch etc) are still entrenched as Party puppet masters and control much of the re-election monies/doners. Trump has the support of the members and fence sitters. The media will support McConnell with Democrats and their comrades in the bureaucracy including Intelligence and DOJ. Anything to keep Trump from winning. And if they are successful in diminishing his favorable they will shift their focus to DeSantis. For Republican elites they would rather be in control of the Party and lose than to win but not be in control.
DeSantis picks his fights carefully and wins.