According to Hammelburg, DeSantis is the only Republican who can put Trump in trouble. “He’s young, charismatic, incredibly intelligent, and a little less raunchy than Trump. There’s a fear among Democrats that with DeSantis, there’s a kind of ‘Trump light’ going on. However, Hammelburg doesn’t give him much chance. “He’s got a lot. success in Florida and the southern states, but he’s still behind Trump, even in his own state.”
Charisma of a sidewalk tile
American constitutional law professor Kenneth Manusama of Amsterdam University College also doesn’t expect DeSantis to beat Trump. ‘He has the charisma of a sidewalk tile, which he’s shown so far in the campaign. In New Hampshire, for example, it’s very important that you retail policy let me visit all the shops and canteens. There she was shown to have little empathy. Also, he can’t handle the press criticism, so I think it’s going to be difficult.’
Since it seems unlikely that DeSantis will actually become the Republican presidential nominee, Hammelburg isn’t ruling out the possibility that DeSantis has another reason for his nomination. “One reason is to make a name for yourself. This was actually Obama’s plan in 2008. No one knew who Hillary Clinton was and would be. I wouldn’t be surprised if DeSantis does the same now.’
Anti woke up
However, Manusama sees that DeSantis has already made more of a name for himself than Obama did at the time. He also lists a number of points “that shut you up”. For example, she has given the slogan “where the awakening goes to die” in Florida, has banned books on topics such as race and LGBTI and has restricted the rights of transgender youth.
If it gets to the point that DeSantis should confront Biden, DeSantis’ anti-wake-up policy could very well kill him, Manusama thinks. “His strong measures against the revival will have an impact at some point, in a negative way for DeSantis. He can make a good campaign speech out of it now, but I think sooner or later Biden would use it against him.”
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