CNN’s S.E. Cupp cast doubt on Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday after he announced his run for the 2024 presidential election.
DeSantis officially launched his campaign Wednesday night by releasing a video on Twitter. The presidential hopeful was slated to host a Twitter Space for the launch but after several glitches, Twitter owner Elon Musk abruptly ended the live audio stream. DeSantis later said on Fox News his administration would focus on securing the border, energy independence and national school choice if he were to win the election.
“There are definitely Republicans who are ‘over Trump’ and see DeSantis and his poll numbers as maybe the best way to park their votes, park their money, their support, but I don’t know,” Cupp said. “I think it is a folly. Still all of the energy, a lot of the condensed energy in the Republican Party, is still with Trump. No one is better at being Trump than Trump, and DeSantis doesn’t have a cogent, cohesive plan other than to be anti-woke.”
“So I wonder, then, who is DeSantis’ biggest concern? Is it Trump, or is it DeSantis himself because of the reasons you’ve already listed?” the host asked. (RELATED: ‘Bad On So Many Fronts’: ‘Morning Joe’ Panel Rips DeSantis Launch)
“Well, it’s Trump,” Cupp said. “Trump is a big concern for him and every other opponent. Like I said, the energy is with him, but also, if you’re unmoored from the principles, conservatism, and really all you’re doing is following the culture war trade-winds, he is going to face incoming – from all of the candidates. That gives everyone a real opportunity, [from] Tim Scott to Nikki Haley, to go to a more moderate place if they choose to do that.”