Everyone loves DeSantis!
If the Conservative Political Action Conference is any indication of the pulse of the GOP, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is certainly fast-becoming the most loved GOP leader, a threat to former President Donald Trump’s influence, as the two are currently at loggerheads.
On Thursday, during his opening address for the four-day event, DeSantis got the crowd in Orlando, Florida, going by declaring Florida is “the citadel of freedom” and touting his conservative credentials.
Stepping onto the stage, DeSantis tossed out hats, to scenes that were akin to a rockstar receiving praise from his adoring fans. He then began his speech that focused primarily on calling out the federal government, while urging conservatives to make “2022 the year that America fought back” against what he called “leftist” and “woke” policies of the Biden administration supported by tech companies and the media.
During his speech the crowd rose to applause on several occasions, while down the hall a man held up a sign that had “DeSantisland” emblazoned on it.
Despite DeSantis’ rising star power in the GOP, it seems conservatives still hope to see Trump taking back the Presidency in 2024.
Thomas Longo, a 51-year-old contractor from New York, was adamant about his hopes that Trump would run again in 2024, saying, instead that given :”DeSantis is a very powerful man,” Longo considered him “a potential President in ‘28,” saying that he “would still like to see Trump get in there in ‘24.”
However, Longo noted that he believed Trump was “man enough to know that if he’s not able to do it… Trump would back DeSantis.”
Other attendees shared the same sentiment about wanting Trump to run again in 2024, with some either saying DeSantis would be an ideal 2028 candidate or that he should remain as Governor of Florida.
