Free Republic

Nikki Haley doubles DeSantis' support. Donald Trump leads him by 57 points. Gov. Ron DeSantis arguably had his best performance in a national debate this week, with a widely viewed showdown with California’s Gavin Newsom the week before. But new polling suggests it might not matter. In the latest Emerson College poll, the Florida Governor has fallen to 7%, his worst showing in any national survey in the 2024 cycle. Adding insult to injury, DeSantis is actually at 6.7%, benefiting from rounding to even hit the modest 7% threshold. DeSantis trails Nikki Haley, who has double his support at 14%....

'I think there's got to be something different for people to see that heart of yours.' In Iowa Saturday, Ron DeSantis heard from a supporter who suggested his campaign wasn’t successfully showing his “heart,” laying the blame on “consultants” as he questioned whether the Florida Governor could win the Presidency. During an event in Muscadine, which was hosted by the Never Back Down super PAC, the 2024 presidential candidate was confronted with criticism of how the DeSantis message is delivered. “I don’t know what your consultants are telling you, and it’s good for me to be here today to see...

In a recent interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis clarified his position on former President Donald Trump’s potential nomination as the Republican Party’s choice for the 2024 Presidential elections, in light of ongoing legal investigations.The conversation was prompted by host Willie Geist, who asked DeSantis about an earlier event in which all the GOP candidates, including DeSantis, were asked if they would support Trump even if he were to be convicted in court.

With two new polls of key early states showing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis losing ground to former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the main DeSantis-supporting super PAC is focusing on Republican voters who want to move on from the one-time commander-in-chief. Never Back Down has spent more than $30 million to date on advertising Despite the massive spending and fundraising haul, DeSantis has not made any headway in the race for the GOP nomination. “The way we look at this race is that there are three buckets,” a source familiar with Never Back Down’s advertising...

The G.O.P. contender’s campaign tried to take on Donald Trump’s online army. Now it just wants to end the meme wars. ---------------------------------- In early May, as Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida prepared to run for president, about a dozen right-wing social media influencers gathered at his pollster’s home for cocktails and a poolside buffet. The guests all had large followings or successful podcasts and were already fans of the governor. But Mr. DeSantis’s team wanted to turn them into a battalion of on-message surrogates who could tangle with Donald J. Trump and his supporters online. For some, however, the gathering...

DeSantis for President is selling plain white cotton T-shirts bearing the legend “DeSantis Airways” for $28 apiece. The governor signed an executive order Oct. 12 authorizing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to “carry out logistical, rescue and evacuation operations to keep its residents safe.” Per the DeSantis team, at least 544 Americans have been brought back from Israel via the flights. Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, estimated to NewsNation Tuesday that the price tag of the initial flight was “right around $4 million

'Why didn't Trump do something about it?' An incredulous Ron DeSantis is yet again addressing the former President’s contention that the 2020 election was “stolen,” saying that’s an “untenable position.” Speaking at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ “Politics and Eggs” event, the Florida Governor didn’t hold back when asked to evaluate Donald Trump’s ongoing contention that he didn’t lose fairly to Joe Biden. “If that is true, he was the sitting President of the United States and let that happen to him. I would never let that happen. As Governor, would I just sit there and let something like...

For reasons mysterious to the rational human mind, Fox News and the Republican National Committee decided to subject Americans to the most bizarre public spectacle in recent memory. It was stupid. It was strange. It was the second Republican presidential primary debate, which began with British-American Stuart Varney having a seizure while attempting to introduce his Univision cohost Ilia Calderón and concluded with Dana Perino asking the contestants who should be “voted off the island.” “Leading the charge, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dismissed the question outright,” The Independent reported. “I’m not going to do that, with all due respect, we’re...

Donald Trump on Sunday said it was “my decision” to believe that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” — saying he didn’t respect the aides and lawyers who’d told him he’d lost. The former president, 77, was asked by NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” why he opted to ignore his “most senior lawyers” and campaign staffers about the election results. “Because I didn’t respect them,” Trump replied. Welker later asked the Republican frontrunner in the presidential primary whether he was “calling the shots … ultimately?” “As to whether or not I believed it was rigged? Oh, sure,” Trump...

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) slammed former President Donald Trump for claiming he was not "allowed" to fire former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, who helped lead the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. DeSantis's comments come after Trump was asked on Hugh Hewitt's radio show Wednesday why he hadn't fired Fauci, who angered Republicans over his approach to masking and other pandemic-era guidance. "First of all, you’re not allowed. He’s civil service, and you’re not allowed to fire him," Trump told Hewitt. "But forget that, because I don’t necessarily go by everything. But Dr. Fauci would tell me...

Donald Trump remains on top of the polls among Republican presidential candidates, but the gap between the former president and his onetime political protégé could be narrowing following the first GOP debate. A new poll from Public Opinion Strategies — a polling firm working for the DeSantis' campaign — shows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis closing in on Trump among Iowa voters. The poll, obtained by Fox News Digital, interviewed 400 Iowa likely GOP caucus-goers and included a ballot test that saw DeSantis rise from 14% support up to 21% post-debate. Trump slid by one percentage point, from 42% to 41%....

Most people say former President Donald Trump should go to trial for his various cases regarding classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election prior to the 2024 contest, in which he appears likely to be the Republican nominee. According to a new POLITICO Magazine/Ipsos poll, 62% of people said they believe Trump should stand trial for his storage of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, for which he was indicted in June, prior to the 2024 presidential election in November. Sixty-one percent also believed he should stand trial for cases regarding alleged attempts to subvert...

Establishment? @RonDeSantis goes off: “I’ve been fighting the Republican establishment my whole career.”

Roughly three-quarters of the individuals who contributed $50,000 or more to the previous Trump super PACs have not donated so far to super PACs supporting any individual Republican candidates – underscoring how much the GOP presidential primary remains frozen in place. Some of the wealthy people who once supported Trump remain reluctant to back his third bid for White House as the former president confronts three criminal indictments. But they also haven’t committed to another GOP contender at this stage in the campaign. “People like to give their money to winners,” said Eric Levine, a GOP fundraiser in New York...

Utah man was shot and killed by FBI agents during a Wednesday morning raid linked to assassination threats against President Biden and other top Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The deadly shooting occurred in Provo around 6:15 a.m., when the feds tried to serve arrest and search warrants at a home, the FBI office in Salt Lake City told The Post in a statement.

Ron DeSantis has broken with 70 percent of the Republican base, telling NBC News, “Of course [Trump] lost: Joe Biden’s the President.” The stunning remarks, though caveated with complaints about mail-in voting and ballot harvesting, are unlikely to endear DeSantis to his party’s voters, a majority of whom are already soured by the Florida Governor’s lackluster campaign and toxic online strategies.DeSantis, who has spent the last two weeks watching some of his chief donors abandon his beleaguered presidential campaign, told NBC News: “Whoever puts their hand on the Bible on Jan. 20 every four years is the winner,” before being...

So, I’m having a friendly debate with somebody about this “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” post by Mr. Trump…My friend, a retired police officer, is a great guy, salt of the earth, etc. He thinks it’s an understandable representation of Trump’s frustration. And maybe it is. But the question remains, did Trump’s attorneys have the chance to see that post before he pushed “send”? Did anybody above the age of 14? Does anybody honestly think had his attorneys seen it, they’d have said, “Yes, Mr. President, we think that’s a really swell post; put that jazz...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s camp on Saturday blasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposed rules for a long-touted debate, arguing that they are an attempt to hide his weaknesses as a candidate. “What a joke,” Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click said in a statement. “Desantis’ counterproposal is littered with crutches to hide his insecurity and ineptitude — swapping opening statements with a hype video, cutting down the time he needs to be on stage, adding cheat notes and a cheering section.” “Ron should be able to stand on his own two feet,” he added. “It’s no wonder Trump is kicking his ass.”

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is running ads to promote the impending one-on-one debate against rival Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom amid their ongoing coast-to-coast feud. "Ron DeSantis is debating Gavin Newsom to highlight the choice facing American voters next year," the talking points added later. The campaign also released ads to promote the debate and encourage voters to "choose their fighter." "Who do you support?" the arcade game-themed advertisement reads.

<p>The Governor has just 14% support among GOP voters younger than 45 years of age.</p><p>New polling points to trouble for Ron DeSantis with one particular demographic in the 2024 presidential race.</p><p>A Fox News poll conducted from June 23 through June 26 shows the Florida Governor 50 points behind former President Donald Trump, 64% to 14%, with Republican voters under the age of 45.</p>