Chinanews.com, May 5 (Guan Na, Meng Xiangjun, Chen Caixia) The battle for the US presidential election in 25 is becoming increasingly fierce! On the 2024th local time, 24-year-old Florida Governor DeSantis officially announced that he would join the contest for this election.

On the same day, DeSantis officially submitted documents to run for the 2024 presidential election. In a campaign video released to the public, he said, "America's decline is not inevitable, but an option." We should choose a new direction - a path that leads the American renaissance ... I am running for president of the United States to lead the great America to rejuvenate again. ”

DeSantis is not only regarded by some Republicans as the "number one rising star" who can replace former US President Trump and win the party's candidate position, in fact, he was also Trump's "little brother" before. Challenge his former "mentor", what are the odds of DeSantis?

Infographic: DeSantis (left) and Trump.

"Rising stars" rise

Re-elected governor in 2022 is very popular

On November 2022, 11, the results of the Florida governor's election in the US midterm elections were announced, and DeSantis defeated Democratic opponent Crester only an hour after the vote was opened with a huge margin of nearly 9% and easily won the governor's re-election. You know, in 20, when he first ran for governor, DeSantis was supported by then-US President Trump and was elected by only a narrow margin of 2018.0%.

At the re-election celebration, the spirited DeSantis smiled and waved to the supporters in the audience. "We not only won the election, but also rewrote the political map," he said, while the audience enthusiastically chanted "two more years, two more years"!

Supporters seem to have taken their midterm election victory into another victory for DeSantis in the White House two years later.

This overwhelming victory has enhanced DeSantis' image in the eyes of many Republicans, paved the way for him to bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and also laid the groundwork for his potential competition with Trump.

A magna laude graduate from Yale and Harvard Law schools, DeSantis joined the U.S. Navy, participated in military operations in Iraq and served as a legal adviser to the Navy SEALs before entering politics. In 2012, at the age of 34, he was elected to Congress and won the 2018 Florida gubernatorial race.

Infographic: Florida Governor DeSantis.

Politico reviewed DeSantis' transformation along the way. He was originally a moderate when he became governor of Florida, but after the coronavirus pandemic swept the United States, his governing style underwent a "dramatic shift." He signed an executive order banning masks in schools, a controversial move that has instead made him "word of mouth" among Republicans.

Mr. DeSantis also chartered flights from Texas to Marsa Vineyard, a favorite vacation spot for Democratic celebrities, as a protest against the Democrats' poor handling of immigration. The move was criticized by Democrats as a "political show" but welcomed by some Republicans.

Now, speaking of DeSantis, Florida Republican political consultant Pedicini said that the "popular fried chicken" is "more popular than Disney and Trump" in Florida.

From "little brother" to "archenemy"

"Grudge" with Trump

Compared with the young and calm image that DeSantis presents in public, Trump gives a completely different impression.

In November 2022, Trump announced his candidacy for the 11 U.S. presidential election, but he is currently riddled with lawsuits and trouble. On March 2024, 2023, he became the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal prosecution for the "hush money" case.

At the same time, DeSantis's goals are gradually emerging, constantly choking Trump.

Image infographic: Trump.

In an interview with the media, he made it clear that Trump "likes to sabotage," "likes to hire people who are at odds with his publicly stated policy interests," and "often leaks information to the news media."

Perhaps feeling threatened by his position, Trump issued a statement to counter DeSantis, calling him a "mediocre governor who plays political tricks." Trump also warned DeSantis not to seek a White House in 2024, even suggesting that he knew something disgraceful about DeSantis: "Maybe I know him better than anyone except his wife." ”

In fact, the relationship between the two in the early years was completely different. In 2018, when DeSantis ran for governor for the first time, he had Trump's full support. In one of his campaign ads, there were many "Trump elements" — reading his children books with Trump's profile picture and name on them, and deliberately putting them in pullovers that "make America great again."

At the time, DeSantis was once known as the "Trump of Florida," and he is believed to have emulated much of Trump's political style. Republican watchers also referred to DeSantis as a "Trump with connotations" or "Trump 2.0."

The former "little brother" has fledged up and has begun to seriously threaten the status of "mentor". After the 2022 US midterm elections, Trump once trailed DeSantis in Republican polls.

However, what people did not expect was that after a series of dramatic events, Trump's recent approval rating gradually recovered. A May 5 poll by the US Morning Consult showed that Trump's approval rating was 17%, while DeSantis' approval rating was only 61%, a gap of 18 percentage points.

Although DeSantis' approval rating has declined, it is widely believed that he is still Trump's biggest rival within the Republican Party.

The next game polishes qualifications

2024 election decisive battle, what are the odds?

It has to be said that the real challenge for DeSantis is still on the way.

Public opinion believes that DeSantis has almost never endured substantial political pressure from the right wing of the Republican Party, let alone endured Trump's "relentless attacks."

Data map: White House. Photo by China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong

Second, if he openly confronts Trump, he could be accused of being "ungrateful," and he lacks attacks that would make a substantial threat to Trump.

Not only that, DeSantis's governing experience mostly comes from dealing with state affairs, and I am afraid that more training is needed to really go to the whole country and enter the White House.

In order to strengthen his own strength, DeSantis has recently traveled abroad frequently, hoping to hone his foreign policy credentials before competing with Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.

Since April, many politicians and related company personnel have traveled to Tallahassee, Florida, to secure a position on DeSantis' campaign team, according to NBC. "It feels like a team is 'hiring' rather than downsizing," the source said. ”

In addition to DeSantis, many Republicans have announced their candidacy for president of the United States, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, but they are difficult to get more support in public opinion polls.

The US "Capitol Hill" analysis said that considering that Trump's support rate is leading in the party, it is very likely to win the Republican nomination for the next presidential candidate, and Biden lacks a strong challenger in the Democratic Party, the drama of "Trump VS Biden" in the 2024 election may be staged again.

But perhaps, DeSantis, the powerful "dark horse", will continue to run and eventually lead the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. At this stage, as he said in his speech after his victory in the 2022 midterm elections, "my battle has just begun". (End)