“Ron DeSantis launches 2024 presidential campaign as alternative to Trump”

Republican Ron DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign in Iowa on Tuesday, May 30. During his speech, he presented himself as the best alternative against Donald Trump, whom he did not hesitate to criticize.

From friendship and rivalry, there is only one step. Ron DeSantis, presented for months as the heir to Donald Trump, officially launched his campaign for the White House on Tuesday in Iowa. The one Donald Trump considered a friend, and even a potential candidate to become his vice-president, did not hesitate to fire a red ball at his former ally.

Although he did not mention the name of the former American president only once during his speech to his audience gathered in a church in the suburbs of Des Moines, he nevertheless issued some well-targeted criticisms: “Being a leader , it is not to make entertainment”, he launched, affirming that it was necessary “to turn the page of the defeat”, underlining the last electoral failures of the Republicans during the midterms in November 2022.

He added that the United States needs a “disciplined and energetic president who will fight the necessary battles every day over an eight-year period”. Donald Trump, he can only serve one term, under the American constitution, since he has already been president between 2017 and 2021.

Ron DeSantis, however, was cautious in front of the assembly, so as not to offend the panel of voters who were loyal to Donald Trump. He was much more severe in front of the journalists after his performance, and in particular accused Trump of having “moved to the left”, especially in terms of immigration.

He also claimed that he did not openly show his disagreements with Donald Trump when he was in the White House: “When we disagreed, I never criticized him publicly because he received all the criticism media, the left and even some Republicans. And all this collusion was just a farce. And he was treated very, very badly. It bothered me, and it still bothers me to be honest,” he told the media, according to Associated Press. “Today he’s attacking me on some of these disagreements, but I think he’s doing it in a way that voters will side with me,” he added.

Trump still favorite

When he announced his candidacy last week, Donald Trump’s team on social media accused him of plagiarizing his 2016 campaign slogan. Ron DeSantis actually chose “The Great American Comeback” (The Great American comeback, in French), while that of Donald Trump was “Make America Great Again” (Give America back its greatness, in French).

Ron DeSantis also launched his campaign in Iowa, a key state in the Republican primary since its voters are the first to vote to choose the future Republican candidate for 2024, who will most certainly face Joe Biden. He seeks to appeal to a conservative and very religious electorate, who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. During his speech in Des Moines, he notably focused on issues of sexual identity and LGBTQIA+ people, on which his extremely conservative positions earned him his popularity in the state of Florida, of which he is the governor.

The former soldier and lawyer hopes to make a difference in the face of the 45th president of the United States who, for the time being, is involved in numerous legal cases which could put his campaign in danger. However, opinion polls remain largely favorable to Donald Trump for the time being. The latter is credited with 46% of the votes in the first round of the primary, against 25% for Ron DeSantis, according to various surveys published last week.