DESANTIS HATES TRUMP AND KISSES HALEY WHILE HE CONTINUES FADING INTO THE FLORIDA SUNSET
Ron DeSantis is shifting his presidential campaign away from New Hampshire just days before that state's Republican primary. His numbers there suck, so he leaves but stays on the ballot. This snub to New Hampshire voters is a gift-- a kiss if you will, for Nikki Haley. The DeSantis super PAC cuts more staff, reflecting the Florida governor's narrowing path to the 2024 GOP nomination.
DeSantis will concentrate on South Carolina, the primary after New Hampshire. Did he forget that Nikki Haley was a successful two-term governor?
Inevitability trumps common sense. Good luck Ron.
In any case, Trump has been focusing on Haley, which psychologically damages DeSantis. But going to South Carolina is not guaranteed to make him feel better. Reality is often an uncomfortable aspect of being an elected politician. Helping Haley is a byproduct in this instance.
As a born and bred New Englander from Connecticut, I have some knowledge and appreciation for how New Hampshire residents feel about political life. Why else would they put the motto "Live Free or Die" on automobile license plates? There is an independent and conservative streak about many things, which may help explain why neighboring Vermont is chock full of liberals and progressives.
It isn't easy to know what Trump believes or what he makes up. He can't help himself. Numbers don't lie, but liars can explain numbers however they like, a favorite tactic of the ex-president.
While the corn may be as high as an elephant's eye on a good summer day, the results of the Iowa 2024 presidential caucus are misleading. Can Trump recognize that? The total caucus turnout was only 110,00 voters, so his 56,200 votes are about 7% of the potential Republican voting pool of 718,901 people. Not a giant accomplishment.
Only Republicans could participate in the GOP caucus in Iowa. The low turnout may have come from antipathy, MAGA overconfidence, or the dreadfully cold and snowy weather. Haley stands to gain the most from Ron giving up on selling his personality to New Hampshire folks.
New Hampshire is a very different situation for several reasons.
Voting is possible all day in New Hampshire, not just at an evening meeting as in Iowa. The major difference is that New Hampshire allows unaffiliated voters to participate in the primary of their choice. There are more unaffiliated voters —399,395 (39.90%)— than Republicans at 298,470 (29.82%). Democratic registrations are 303,060 (30.28%). While they cannot vote, they can and will influence their unaffiliated friends to vote.
Trump's legal issues won't go away. He made an old case reappear by disparaging E. Jean Carrol, a journalist he sexually abused decades ago. First, He lost a court case in May 2023 about the facts, which cost him a $5 million penalty for defamation. Now, he is in a jury trial to set damages for prior and new defamation.
Trump is intent on doing everything he can to show loyal MAGA voters he doesn't care what the courts can do to him. Instead, he consciously treats each courtroom situation as a campaign stop. He adds to his troubles by disparaging judges and the US legal system, sometimes in court, usually outside for the media. It may endear him to his loyal core, but it seems counter-productive regarding other voters. Some clues may appear from the New Hampshire primary results. With unaffiliated voters and no Ron DeSantis aggressively competing, the vote totals could be a game changer for Haley and an epitaph for DeSantis. If that happens, Trump's disparagement and rage will be non-stop.