Ron DeSantis: The man who wants to challenge Trump

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Ron DeSantis at an appearance in Virginia: Will he be the upcoming Republican presidential candidate?

Photograph:

Paige Dingler / AP

Ron DeSantis has long been rumored to have such plans – now he has apparently decided to make his US presidential bid official. Florida's governor is considered a hardliner, and his policies are met with fierce resistance from Democrats and civil rights activists.

In the camp of the political right, on the other hand, he has many supporters. In order to compete for the Republicans, the 44-year-old would have to prevail above all against an internal party competitor: Donald Trump.

Career, positions, opportunities – the overview of the man who wants to challenge the ex-president.

How did DeSantis rise to governor?

His curriculum vitae predestines Ron DeSantis for a career as a conservative politician: He grew up in Dunedin on Florida's west coast: Bible school, high school, baseball team. DeSantis studies at the elite universities of Yale and Harvard. In the Navy, DeSantis served as a military lawyer in the Guantanamo Bay camp, and in the Iraq War as an advisor to the legendary Navy Seals. He received several medals and is still a reserve officer.

After returning home, he went into politics, running for the U.S. House of Representatives "to stop Barack Obama." The Tea Party wave swept him into Washington, he won his constituency by a large margin – and blocked Obama wherever possible with his right-wing populist movement "Freedom Caucus".

In 2018, DeSantis is running for governor in Florida – one of his most ardent supporters: then-President Donald Trump. "A true fighter!" he tweets and even makes himself comfortable in Tampa as an election campaign worker. By a narrow margin of less than 33,000 votes, DeSantis wins the election against Democrat Andrew Gillum. He became popular during the corona pandemic with his constant refusal to tighten requirements to contain the pandemic. In the 2022 midterm elections, DeSantis defended his office and received 59.4 percent of the vote.

Who are his friends and followers?

Ron DeSantis is seen by many in the Republican Party as the embodiment of a new, right-wing liberal mainstream after Donald Trump, as a "Trump with a brain". Florida's governor is therefore receiving support above all from media that have turned away from the ex-president – or those with whom Trump no longer wants to have anything to do.

"DeSantis is the new leader of the Republican Party," said the Fox News website after the midterm elections, which were triumphant for DeSantis. Subtitle: "The Republicans are ready to move forward without Donald Trump." But it's not just traditional media that are sticking to DeSantis – he could benefit in particular from Elon Musk's support: The Twitter owner announced on his own medium last fall that he would support a possible DeSantis candidacy – and has now apparently made his platform available for its announcement.

Who are his opponents?

On the way to his presidential candidacy, the man who once supported him could be particularly dangerous for Ron DeSantis: Donald Trump. The ex-president would like to move back into the White House himself and has apparently identified Florida's governor as the main opponent. Since then, he has been trying to sabotage his application.

He could tell about DeSantis "things that are not particularly flattering," Trump said in an interview in the fall. If he runs, it could be very painful for him." Later, Trump's supporters published a campaign ad that picked up on the rumor that DeSantis once ate chocolate pudding with his fingers in front of others. "Ron DeSantis loves to put his fingers where they don't belong," the 30-second clip reads.

The broad support for Trump shows that DeSantis is not just dealing with a single opponent, but with a wing in the Republican Party and beyond. Cracking this block will be a big challenge.

But even the Trump challenger masters the personal attack: "I don't know how you come to pay hush money to a star so that he remains silent about an alleged affair," he said at an appearance in the spring. That was a swipe at Trump.

Shortly before his election as president, he paid $130,000 in hush money to actress Stormy Daniels. She had claimed she had had sex with him. Trump denies an affair, but not that money has flowed. Non-disclosure agreements between two parties are not illegal in themselves. However, Trump is accused of illegally accounting for the payments, trying to conceal them illegally and thus trying to cover up other violations of the law.

What are DeSantis' positions?

So far, DeSantis has distinguished himself as a staunchly right-wing conservative politician – with a particular focus on his actions against sexual minorities and non-binary gender identities. Well-known, for example, is the so-called "Don't say Gay" law, which initially made conversations about gender identities virtually taboo in Florida's elementary schools – and which was later extended to all schools. In addition, gender reassignment treatment for minors has been banned in his state.

DeSantis is also a conservative hardliner on other issues: he significantly lowered the threshold for death sentences, took action against education about racism in schools or questioned American support for Ukraine. In migration policy, he represents a restrictive course and was criticized because he had migrants brought by plane to an island popular with Democrats.

DeSantis is currently engaged in a particular feud with the Disney Group, which had clearly criticized the "Don't Say Gay" law. DeSantis then had Florida's legislature pass a bill that severely restricts Disney World's self-governing status. In the dispute, Disney went to court in April and sued DeSantis.

What are his chances of becoming the Republican presidential nominee?

It's hard to say. When numerous Trump-backed candidates lost in the midterm elections, it gave DeSantis a significant tailwind. According to a Fox News survey, Trump achieved 53 percent approval among his party's supporters a few weeks ago, while DeSantis only received 21 percent.

Since February, Trump has improved his popularity ratings in this poll by almost ten percentage points, while DeSantis had to give up seven points. Now, however, he could catch up again – through the image boost that an official announcement of a candidacy would probably bring.

The problem for DeSantis could be that he often seems awkward, sometimes cool and arrogant during live performances. This is partly in stark contrast to Trump's appearances.