According to Mens, the Republican Party in the US is still dominated by former President Donald Trump. “And the question now is whether they should stick with the original or form a cover band,” Mens explains. “The original is Trump, of course, and the cover band is former VP Mike Pence or Ron DeSantis.”
“The question for Republicans is whether they should stick with the original or play a cover band”
Though Scott sounds different than Trump and his tidier equivalents Pence and DeSantis, he doesn’t seem to have a chance beforehand. Especially since the Republican base appears to be 60% behind Trump and 20% behind DeSantis. “At that Trump party you have different forms of Trumpism, but if you really have a different message, it gets difficult,” Mens says.
Contrary
Although Scott is a member of the Republican Party, his political outlook is fundamentally different from that of Trump et al, according to Mens. “He endorses many parts of the America First program,” he continues. “But like many other Republicans, Scott also wants to expand the party to – as he says – form a bigger tent, where people feel at home.”
Scott is also considered a conservative and strict religious man, but according to Mens he tries to convey a more inclusive message than Trump. “As far as politics goes, he’s mostly about the business community,” he concludes. “He is also in favor of supporting Ukraine, which also partially differentiates him from the other candidates.”
All the differences will only really clear up in the summer, when they will discuss each other and really unleash the battle for the Republican nomination in the US presidential elections.