Ron DeSantis will drop out of the 2024 presidential race if he loses the Iowa caucuses to Donald Trump on January 15, it is claimed.
Two well-acquainted sources within the DeSantis campaign, a significant donor and a high-ranking political operative, told The Hill that if the Florida Governor loses to former President Donald Trump on January 15, he is likely to withdraw from the race altogether.
The announcement would either be made that same night or the following morning – – and with it a reluctant endorsement for Trump and the governor would not move on to New Hampshire, scheduled for January 23.
DeSantis would upend the race if he were to beat Trump in the caucuses – as he is currently polling well behind his MAGA rival.
Ron DeSantis, pictured, is ready to throw in the towel on his 2024 presidential campaign, it has been reported
Sources suggest DeSantis would then likely endorse Trump, aligning with a growing trend of Republican figures backing the former president
DeSantis entered the race with sky-high expectations but has struggled to gain traction against Trump. He may well have to endorse him. The pair are pictured here in 2018
He entered the race with sky-high expectations but has struggled to gain traction against Trump.
He has shaken up his campaign staff and recalibrated his message several times over the past year and has bet heavily on a strong Iowa finish.
He visited all 99 counties, aided by an aligned super PAC, Never Back Down, that spent the summer and fall sending organizers door to door to recruit supporters.
But the latest polls suggest it would take a miracle for him to win with DeSantis sitting at 18.4 percent and Trump at a solid 50 percent of the vote.
If DeSantis does decide to align himself with Trump, he would be joining a growing trend of Republican politicians endorsing the former president.
Recently Trump has received endorsements from prominent figures like House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
The latest polls suggest it would take a miracle for him to win with DeSantis sitting at 18.4 percent and Trump at a solid 50 percent of the vote
Beyond Iowa, DeSantis’s standing in New Hampshire is also looking decidedly ropey with Trump once again holding a considerable lead
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, known for his conservative and faith-based circles, has also recently endorsed Trump – all of which suggests momentum for a Trump return is growing within the Republican Party.
Beyond Iowa, DeSantis’s standing in New Hampshire is also looking decidedly ropey with Trump once again holding a considerable lead.
DeSantis is in fourth place in the Granite State at 9.5 percent and trailing former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with 10.5 percent, Nikki Haley at 24.8 percent and Trump at 46.3 percent.
As losses only accumulate, DeSantis would then likely face scrutiny from financial backers urging him to exit the race.
DeSantis might have been better suited for a presidential bid in 2028, but the night of January 15 will reveal whether DeSantis is able to bow out gracefully as the odds mount against him.
The video, which first aired on C-Span, shows the hotly-debated Republican engaged in a conversation with a man who cracks a joke that sent the governor into stitches
DeSantis has faced an uphill battle from the start when it comes to connecting with voters and has frequently been accused of being uptight and humorless.
But during his campaign there have been flashes that showed a different side to him.
A video from last May saw him roaring laughter has emerged, as the 2024 hopeful makes an apparent effort to loosen up.
The video showed the governor engaged in a conversation with a man at a classic car show in Iowa. When DeSantis asks: ‘I saw that you have like a 1955 Porsche in there. That one’s nice. How much is that worth?’
‘Ugh, we won’t even talk about that,’ the man responds. DeSantis was clearly tickled by the remark and flung his head back to give a hearty-open-mouthed guffaw.
An image of DeSantis laughing with his mouth wide open during the same moment was also snapped by Wall Street Journal reporter John McCormick, who uploaded it to his Twitter account.
While many were quick to crack jokes, others pointed out the loosening up was a targeted effort.
Adversaries have argued in the past that DeSantis has an issue with ‘grip and grin’ politics which sees lawmakers get out and about to try and charm voters in person.
Early in the campaign it was reported DeSantis and his team had ‘internal conversations’ regarding his need to engage in more small talk, handshaking and eye contact.
Wall Street Journal reporter John McCormick also shared a snap of DeSantis enjoying himself on the campaign trail
More recently, there has been an obsession over whether DeSantis has been wearing ‘lifts’ in his cowboy boots to make himself appear taller – as Americans traditionally like taller candidates.
It becamet he focus of millions of Twitter followers and sparked a flurry of excitement on TikTok prompting amateur sleuths to investigate.
The Florida governor was accused of inserting lifts into pairs of brown and black boots to turn them into heels, giving him a height boost.
DeSantis has said that he wears ‘just standard, off the rack Lucchese’ boost and that he stands at 5’11”.
But a trio of expert shoemakers have come forward to say he is using lifts to make himself look taller.
A trio of expert shoemakers believe that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is wearing heels despite the 2024 candidate denying that there are lifts tucked inside his cowboy boots. DeSantis sported these boots at a Heritage Foundation event on Friday
TikTok user Spamellina had sketched the shape of a high heel over the photo of DeSantis in his boots and then shared a picture of a pair of women’s wedged boots for comparison. The experts described a similar – yet shorter way – that lifts would be configured
Bootmaker Zephan Parker of the Houston-based Parker Boot Company didn’t buy DeSantis’ denial.
‘I’ve dealt with these politicians many times,’ Parker told Politico Magazine ‘I’ve helped them with their lifts. [DeSantis] is wearing lifts; there’s no doubt.’
Parker looked at photos of DeSantis at a campaign event in Tampa and noticed that while the boots are of a traditional Western silhouette the heels appear shorter.
He explained that when you insert lifts into cowboy boots the lift-heel combo can ‘turn them into five-inch stilettos.’
‘That’s too much for the common man,’ Parker said. ‘So on a ready-made boot, they’ll cut down the heel about half an inch to accommodate the lifts, which looks to be what happened here.’
Parker also said the boots’ tops seem to be sticking out further than a traditional cowboy boot.
While cowboy boots are supposed to fit snugly, a tight boot can’t accommodate a lift, so often men who want to achieve some extra height will have to size up.
‘He looks like he’s wearing trousers with an eight-inch opening,’ Parker observed, ‘which is plenty of room for a Western boot on a man of his proportions.’
However, since the tops of his boots are pressed up against his pant legs, Parker suggested that ‘the boots are bigger than intended, probably to accommodate his lifts.’
Trump hit the campaign trail Saturday in the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating state of Iowa, vowing to win ‘for the third time’
As U.S. Secret Service agents stand their post, former President Donald Trump dances after speaking at a campaign rally
Trump, meanwhile, hit the campaign trail Saturday in the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating state of Iowa, vowing to win ‘for the third time’ as Americans marked the anniversary of the deadly assault on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters.
Many watched in horror three years ago on January 6, 2021, as rioters — egged on by the ex-president and fueled by his false claims of voter fraud — stormed the seat of US democracy in a bid to halt the transfer of power.
In a rambling, two-hour speech Saturday to supporters in Newton, Iowa, Trump did not delve into the events of that day, but described those jailed over their roles in the assault as ‘hostages.’ He has said that if elected, he will pardon many.
Trump mocked President Joe Biden, his putative rival in November’s election.
He said Biden has overseen economic decline and invited chaos at the nation’s borders, while failing to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
‘I would’ve absolutely stopped Putin,’ he said.
Trump warned of World War III if Biden is re-elected, adding, ‘This is our last chance to save America.’
Never having given up on the fiction that he won the 2020 election, Trump declared that in November he will win ‘for the third time.’