Donald Trump and his allies are reportedly laying out plans to attack Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis should he emerge as a rival in the 2024 presidential election.
What Happened: Over the past two months, Trump has talked to his allies about ways to take on DeSantis on personal and political issues, reported RollingStone.
Trump and his associates want to portray the Florida governor as an “establishment” figure and zeroed in on his supposed weakness over Social Security.
“In a Republican primary, only Donald Trump could effectively go after Ron DeSantis for wanting to cut Social Security,” said a Republican close to the 2024 Trump campaign, according to RollingStone.
“Trump has a track record of saying the right things on this issue, both when it comes to a general election and also Republican voters in a primary," said the RollingStone source.
Why It Matters: Trump could have ease in portraying DeSantis as someone who will take the ax to the budget, as during his time in the House, between 2013 to 2018, he was a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, considered the most conservative, far-right caucus of the Republican Party, noted RollingStone.
The cuts voted by DeSantis reportedly included raising the eligibility age for Social Security and Medicare to 70.
“This is where…Trump kicks him in the nuts,” said a person close to Trump on the former president’s plans to take on DeSantis.
Meanwhile, a new poll from Morning Consult shows Trump having a lead as a Republican nominee at 48%, a sizeable lead over DeSantis at 31%. The Florida governor has yet to announce his candidature for the presidency, while Trump has already done so.
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