Who is more dangerous, Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis?
I ask the question because, for more than seven years now, Democrats, myself included, have been arguing that Donald Trump is the only one so unfit for the office of President. It’s not just that we don’t agree with his positions; his character makes him unfit for the job. He has shown himself to be hot-tempered, belligerent, dishonest, whimsical, unpredictable, ready to break all the rules and determined, if necessary, to undermine American democracy and its institutions to stay in power.
I looked forward to the day when we could debate again with a Republican politician with whom we simply disagreed. Of course, we would have political differences, but that is part of the normal democratic process. Now a Republican of this type is emerging and it raises a new set of fears.
The enemy of wokism
Ron DeSantis, who has been Governor of Florida since 2019, is not as out of control as Trump. He copies it, but he is more disciplined, more subtle. President, he would not spend his time improvising or trouncing his enemies; he would not have to defend himself against impeachment proceedings. Maybe he would even read the briefing notes and participate in the governing process. And unlike Trump, he seems to be a workaholic.
This is where the shoe pinches: aren’t these very qualities likely to make him an even more dangerous president? Couldn’t he be worse than Trump, God forbid, because more efficient?
Even if he has not yet declared himself a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, DeSantis already has a campaign theme: he is the enemy of wokism, he speaks the truth and stands up against the indignant and hysterical delusions of the cancel culture from the left. His credo: let’s not talk about homosexuality! Ban Critical Race Theory! Let’s teach only the encouraging and happy parts of American history!
He swears by the usual right-wing truths: more guns, fewer immigrants, less taxes. He wants to strengthen restrictions on the right to abortion and relax them for capital executions. He aligned himself with antivax demands and argued that Doctor Anthony Fauci [l’ancien conseiller de la Maison-Blanche sur le Covid-19] should be in jail for lying to Congress. He said the attack on the Capitol [par des partisans de Trump], on January 6, 2021, was perhaps only an operation orchestrated by the FBI. It made exercising the right to vote more difficult in Florida.
The crazy incompetent against the competent ideologue
Which of the two would I prefer to see prevail in the race for the presidency if I had to choose? The incompetent crackpot or the competent ideologue who could do more damage?
Before answering, a few preliminaries: first, the two men will not be the only ones to seek the nomination of the Republican Party in 2024. Another candidate may very well pass them in the coming months. DeSantis is doing well in the polls, but he’s not widely known outside of Florida and may not survive close scrutiny of his candidacy (several major media portray him as an obnoxious, haughty guy who can’t look down on other people. humans in the eyes). Trump, on the other hand, can of course self-destruct at any time.
But if I had to choose, I would take DeSantis. In my opinion, the danger he poses is not as great as four more years of Trump. The damage the latter caused when he was in the White House is unprecedented in modern American history, and four more years could be worse. His constant work of undermining institutions, his rejection of legitimate election results, his attacks on the press, his offensive against truth, facts and science, his detachment from reality – I cannot imagine going through all that.
DeSantis would certainly put us on the wrong track, but another Trump presidency would threaten American democracy itself.
Some observers agree. “At the end of the day, I would prefer a cynic like DeSantis to a madman like Trump,” underlines Mike Murphy. A longtime adviser to the Republican Party, he worked for several moderate Republicans, including John McCain, Mitt Romney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. “From a Democratic perspective, Trump may be easier to beat, but who wants to risk supporting him?” he adds.
“Two different versions of the same danger”
Others, on the other hand, raise their arms in the air at the very idea of making this choice. “It’s like having a debate about which of these two evils is better: syphilis or gonorrhea?” says Norman Ornstein, a researcher at the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute, which has long denounced Trump. For him, “Trump and DeSantis are different versions of the same danger.”
In the event of a second term, Trump would seek, according to the researcher, only to take revenge, to punish those who opposed him. And it would be a godsend for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Viktor Orban and North Korean Kim Jong-un.
However DeSantis would also be a disaster. “I don’t think he has deep convictions about anything, explains Ornstein. He may not be as narcissistic and sociopathic as Trump, he is smarter and more subtle. But he has no moral values.”
As a Democrat, I have no say in who emerges victorious in the Republican primary (if either does). I am only an observer. However, I believe that the danger posed by a victory for Trump in the presidential election of November 2024 would be greater.
Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind when we get to know DeSantis better and see him in action. But if he turns out to be worse than Trump, I’ll be really scared for the country.
