DeSantis faces few good options on Trump indictment
BY JULIA MANCHESTER AND CAROLINE VAKIL - 06/15/23 6:00 AM ETFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) finds himself in a difficult position as former President Trump dominates the news cycle in the wake of his indictment.
The Florida governor is walking a fine line between wanting to knock Trump from first place and not alienating Trump’s voters, who are firmly against the indictment.
DeSantis condemned the Justice Department’s actions after news of Trump’s indictment broke last week, but he has since kept a low profile.
However, many Republicans say that DeSantis needs to take the opportunity to argue that he is more electable than the former president.
“The indictment speaks for itself though. These are serious national security issues. Is some of this politically motivated? Sure,” said Dan Eberhart, a DeSantis donor.
“The bottom line is that this consumed the first Trump presidency. It made good policy harder to enact and sustain. And if Trump is the nominee again, it will consume another four years,” he said. “DeSantis needs to make the case to voters that we can have the good conservative policies, the strong economic recovery, without all the drama.”
Some Republicans have slowly started to change their tune on Trump’s latest indictment, with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley saying Trump’s behavior was “incredibly reckless” if the indictment is true while also later suggesting she is “inclined in favor of a pardon” for Trump if she was president.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4050361-desantis-faces-few-good-options-on-trump-indictment/
