“Trump at 71, Ron DeSantimonius at 10 percent, Mike Pence at 7 percent. . . Oh, Mike’s doing better than I thought,” Trump told a crowd of supporters at a rally in Latrobe, Pa., for Republican Senate candidates and Gov. Drs. Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano. The fact that Trump assigned the Florida governor a derogatory nickname is a tell-tale sign that he considers him a legitimate contender for 2024 and that he is indeed preparing to run. Gov. Ron DeSantis has long been seen as a GOP rising star and strong presidential contender, one who could potentially have the conservative-populist credibility to take on Trump in the primaries. While presiding over the Sunshine State, DeSantis has shown a willingness to wield government power to achieve conservative policy goals — incorporating some of Trump’s confrontational approach. For example, it enacted a mask ban for K-12 public schools and a ban on teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to elementary school children. Both laws received widespread support among residents. The hope of some Republicans who favor DeSantis over Trump is that he can pursue a similar agenda without the former president’s political baggage. On the campaign trail, Trump has coined a nickname for nearly every opponent he’s run against, both in the 2016 GOP primaries and in the 2016 and 2020 general election contests. He called Republican Sen. Ted Cruz “Lyin’ Ted,” Republican Sen. Marco Rubio “Little Marco,” Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas,” 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton “Crooked Hillary” and his running mate Democratic Party Joeleepy Biden for 2020.”, to name a few. While snubbing DeSandis, a potential future challenger, Trump praised Oz and Mastriano on Saturday night as “America First” conservatives who will redeem Pennsylvania from the devastation wrought by Democratic policies. The story continues He repeated his usual, if unsupported, claim that the 2020 presidential campaign was marred by voter fraud that gave Biden the victory. “I’m so worried about Oz and Doug Mastriano,” she said. “The election was rigged and stolen and we’re not going to let that happen again.” A Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll last week showed the Senate race between Oz and Democratic candidate John Fetterman in a dead heat. Mastriano is currently more than ten points behind Democratic Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in the governor’s race, according to FiveThirtyEight’s Saturday average. Trump turned to inflation, which he noted costs the typical American household more than $800 each month. “Who the hell voted for these people?” Trump exclaimed. “There’s only one option to end this madness, and it really is madness,” he said, imploring fans to “vote Republican in a massive red wave.” Last week, President Biden delivered a dramatic speech at Union Station in Washington, D.C., in which he claimed that “democracy itself” is on the ballot in the midterm elections. On Saturday night, Trump mocked Biden’s charge that “extremist” MAGA Republicans are inciting political violence. Biden’s speech came after a mentally disturbed conspiracy theorist broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and brutally attacked her husband. The suspect sought out the Democratic leader with the alleged intent to kidnap, interrogate and physically harm her. Trump also discussed the bullying he said Democrats have used against political opponents. “If you mention a name, the FBI visits you. If someone is looking into election integrity, the FBI is coming to visit you,” he said, in a nod to the many pro-life activists who have been arrested by the agency for alleged violations of the FACE Act. “We have an armed Department of Justice and an armed FBI,” Trump added, referring to the raid on his Florida residence in Mar-a-Lago. The investigation was authorized by Attorney General Merrick Garland on grounds that the former president mishandled confidential government documents. Trump criticized the administration for imprisoning and punishing people involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, while largely ignoring the riots that swept the country in the summer of 2020 after the death of George Floyd. “BLM and Antifa burned cities and nothing happens to them. Its a shame. Two levels of justice. There is no justice. It is the opposite of justice. The world is not going to take it anymore,” he said.
