MAGA Civil War: Trump and DeSantis fight over control of Republican Party

The first shot of the American Civil War was not a warning shot, it was a mounting conflict fueled by political and social differences about two incompatible ideas about what the United States should be. Now something similar seems to be brewing in US politics.

With the 2024 Presidential Election around the corner, US politics feel more galvanized than ever. While the Joe Biden seeks reelection (something unheard of for a man of his age), the Republican Party seems to be gearing up for a fight of brother against brother for the nomination.

It’s no secret that former US President Donald Trump was eyeing to run a third time in the 2024 Election, despite his current legal troubles.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has shaken up things, announcing on Twitter that he would run for the Republican nomination. However, it won’t be a walk in the park for him or anyone trying to take down Trump.

As AP News writes, even before DeSantis threw his hat into the ring in May 2023, Trump and his team have long viewed him as the most likely contender.

DeSantis was endorsed by Trump as late as 2018, but since then the two of them have grown apart. The former US President has claimed that, without him, the Florida Governor would be working at a pizza place or a law office.

On his gatherings, the former US President has called the Florida Governor all sort of names such as “Meatball Ron” and “Ron DeSanctimonious” in a bizarre mix of political rally and literary workshop.

However, DeSantis seems to have some important backers on his side. His announcement on Twitter, despite technical issues, was hosted by Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Pictured: Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the White House in 2017.

According to Newsweek, Former White House advisor Steve Bannon called the DeSantis announcement a “clown show” and implied that the Florida Governor was on the autism spectrum.

However, several high-profile Republican figures have distanced themselves from Trump and showed their support to the more palatable DeSantis.

Political news website The Hill lists a few such as Ken Cuccinelli and Steve Cortes, both who served in the Trump White House, and single outs three Representatives: Chip Roy from Texas, Thomas Massie from Kentucky, and Bob Good from Virginia.

Both Fox News and The New York Post, media supporters of Trump in the past, now report on average Republican voters choosing DeSantis over Trump.

Republican voters in South Carolina told Fox News in June 2023 some reasons why the Florida Governor was their man. Many of them considered Trump had done a great work as President, but that DeSantis was the one to continue his legacy.

Others described Trump as “childish” and DeSantis as a politician with more “decorum”. A few pragmatically believe that the Florida Governor simply has more chances than the former US President.

The New York Post quoted a voter by the name of Sarah, who argued that DeSantis would “back the American people and get the country back on track, as Trump did years ago.”

However, Sarah added that “sometimes it’s time for you to have somebody new, and I think DeSantis is the one”.

DeSantis has tried to defend himself from Trump’s attacks. CNN reports that the Florida Governor criticized the former US President on policies concerning COVID-19, being a supporter of amnesty for undocumented migrants and calling him fiscally “irresponsible”.

To make things more complicated, former Donald Trump VP Mike Pence announced his plan to run in the Republican primaries.

By June 2023, the website Five Thirty Eight shows that most polls signal Trump the favorite candidate among Republicans for the 2024 Presidential Election.

CNN also reports that Trump has taken a substantial lead over DeSantis, while polls in early 2023 showed both men head-to-head.

Even if Trump manages to win his own personal war against DeSantis, it’s very clear that not all Republicans are happy with his leadership. But the big question is: Will they still vote for him?