If you are a MAGA voter who wants all the MAGA you can get, but skip over some of the more embarrassing moments, the Helsinki moments, the “very fine people on both sides moments,” the galactically-creepy dad-daughter moments, and you prefer a candidate who isn’t campaigning with an ankle bracelet around his oversized suit, then Ron DeSantis might be the MAGA candidate for you.

Donald Trump, man of many bad moments, seems to sense this and is perhaps slightly worried. Did he build something he cannot control? It is possible. After all, the GOP did the very same thing with him.

Not really, says Politico’s Mark Caputo, but there’s still something there:

“Best we can tell is most of the tension Democrats hoping that tension is true (sic), and some of the folks from the inner circle who see DeSantis as a likely presidential candidate if Trump doesn’t run but don’t see themselves on DeSantis’ team.

“So, politically speaking, it’s almost an unholy alliance of strange bedfellows where you have Democrats and some Trumpy-style Republicans hoping to stoke this dissension. Best we can tell there’s no feud, and as best we can tell there’s no tension.”

Actually, no. We would vastly prefer dissension and tension between powerbroker Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy versus the MAGAs. That sort of tension would be far more helpful. Trump versus DeSantis really isn’t doing anything for us. Equal incompetence, DeSantis perhaps possesses fractionally better social skills, but we’re splitting atoms at that point.

Now the proof that DeSantis scares Trump:

“DeSantis has been respectful of former President Trump. Trump on occasion does like to remind people, at least a bit subtly, from what we understand, that he built DeSantis, and the suggestion is he could tear him down as well. There’s probably truth to that.”

Not so fast there, el vaquero. Certainly, Trump is the “leader” but DeSantis is also seen as the heir apparent. A a leader takes out a rising heir apparent at his own peril because nothing looks weaker than fearing a rival so much he must be destroyed. Obviously, there is a number, 25-30% of the right, that will never leave Trump even if he forgot to wear pants on stage. But whether Trump realizes it or not, he has never run in an election and got more votes than his opponent. He is also trending down. If he lost 5-10% of his Florida voters, say adios, hombre. Vaya con dios. 

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LeftScoop.news. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.