Trump Wants to End DeSantis’s 2024 Campaign Before It Even Begins

Former President  Donald Trump is girding to take a swing at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the two things his chief rival is proudest of: his handling of Covid-19 and his state’s economy.

In conversations with Trump campaign advisers and allies, the strategy they’ve developed is to bury DeSantis’s expected presidential campaign before it begins. On Friday, DeSantis speaks to the Heritage Foundation’s 50th Anniversary summit outside Washington and Trump will address Republicans later that night in DeSantis’s home state.

Trump, according to his allies, will use the occasion to remind local officials how he turned some swing states red in 2016 and also try to muddy up the brightest parts of the governor’s record.

A new Wall Street Journal poll Friday showed Trump gaining on his opponent. In a head-to-head matchup it points to Trump having 51% of support among Republican primary voters, compared with 38% for DeSantis.