Governor Ron DeSantis made it official. His entry into the race for the White House has been months in the making. On Wednesday, in a audio broadcast that included mercurial billionaire Elon Musk (and was riddled with technical glitches), DeSantis announced he will be a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
The former congressional backbencher and Tea Party Republican's political journey reaches its zenith. DeSantis鈥 eagerly anticipated announcement now pits the culture warrior against his one-time political mentor, ex-president Donald Trump. A battle that will see the former Trump 鈥渕ini-me鈥 succumb to withering political attacks and unrelenting questions and critiques of his far-right agenda as governor of Florida, the third largest American state.
In the wake of his crushing landslide re-election victory just five-months ago, DeSantis was riding a wave of momentum heading into the nominating contest. A had the governor leading the republican field, which included Donald Trump, 40-31. Yet, as all eyes will be watching the sit-down with the Tesla and SpaceX founder, the latest shows him trailing Donald Trump by 36 points among Republican primary voters.
Making matters worse, a number of high-profile r for his inexplicable battle with global media behemoth, The Walt Disney Company, over Florida鈥檚 "Don鈥檛 Say Gay" law. Once seen as the Trump heir apparent and the darling of the donor class, Ron DeSantis is now limping into the 2024 nomination battle.
U.S. presidential campaigns are not for the faint of heart. The searing national spotlight has proven to be blinding for some. When confronted with the unforgiving demands and punishing expectations of a fickle electorate and an overzealous media, some notable presidential aspirants wilted. The applause plea; the scream; and the tanked (literally) photo op are just a (small) cadre of past hopefuls that walked the candidate tightrope -- only to suffer the slightest misstep and fall by the wayside.
Add to this combustible mix, an ex-president whose love for sparring with competitors matches his insatiable appetite for attention and the results can be disastrous. The political graveyard is littered with the epithets of those that sought to reach the highest office in the land only to have those ambitions cut, crash and burn.
Ron DeSantis is the latest contender in what is quickly becoming a crowded GOP field. However, before the launch can commence, his candidacy is already imploding. The governor鈥檚 ability to move Florida from a key battleground state to a bastion of MAGA conservatism made him the darling of the GOP. Moreover, a political identity shaped and molded in the image of Donald Trump devoid of the sordid and scandalous personal shortcomings seemed destined for political greatness.
Party leaders and the monied class anointed DeSantis the future of the party without fully vetting the governor's ability to withstand the intense pressure of a long bruising political fight. Now, the whispers have grown louder and the governor鈥檚 deficiencies, glossed over during his gubernatorial re-election rout, are now on full display under the national glare.
Even more troubling for the governor and his allies, Donald Trump is acutely aware of DeSantis鈥 political shortcomings including his on-the-record stances as a national lawmaker calling for the abolition of Social Security, as well as his glaring discomfort engaging in retail politics. Trump is a master of character and political assassination. In fact, he has already begun a precise and strategic campaign at systematically tearing down his former protege with more than .
The student, who thought he could outwit the teacher, is learning the hard way. The teacher still controls the classroom. Draconian abortion laws; book bans; attacks on immigrants; lax gun regulations; all meant to capture the MAGA base with an unrepentant move to the right. Only to be met with bewilderment from general election voters and ambivalence from MAGA voters eager to get behind a third Trump candidacy.
In this July 31, 2020 file photo, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, listens as then-president Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on the coronavirus outbreak and storm preparedness at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
As the polls clearly show, it is still Trump that commands the room. Donald Trump, not Ron DeSantis, holds the majority of endorsements even from Florida pols. The indicted former commander-in-chief deftly turns his legal travails into political triumphs, and can still win the news cycle even without command of the bully pulpit. The master, the party left for dead, is reborn and DeSantis, his once proud pupil, quakes at his presence.
Every crisis, debacle, or calamity, Trump has adroitly used to his advantage. Each critical moment further separates him from the field of potential candidates. Meanwhile, for every far-right policy; every political fight against wokeism; every manufactured event signaled to evoke strength,only saw DeSantis poll numbers continue to crater. Disney鈥檚 latest decision to halt a US$1billion development project and the NAACP travel advisory are glaring examples of DeSantis鈥檌nability to turn these political embarrassments into campaign gold.
Ron DeSantis has worn the culture warrior mantra very well and used it to great effect. Florida is clearly a republican stronghold. His MAGA right policies helped embolden and bolster the right鈥檚 ongoing efforts to reshape the political landscape both at the state and federal level. Now, as the governor embarks on a race for the White House, he and his allies are hoping (against hope) that his many battles against the left, against the press, and against wokeism have prepared him for the arduous and grueling fights on the horizon.
To achieve his goal he will have to come face-to-face with the battle-tested ex-president who relishes the fight and a truculent media intent on testing his mettle. However, if the past is prologue, the DeSantis camp and those that see him as the standard bearer of a post-Trump GOP will be left reeling when the dust settles.
In part three of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5's Jon Woodward and Joseph Loiero look into allegations that the industry is rife with organized crime activity.
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante announced Wednesday she would not seek a third mandate. Her decision has many talking about the demands of municipal leadership, particularly for women.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
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A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.
Abousfian Abdelrazik told a court Wednesday about the roller-coaster of emotions he experienced during the tense days of early 2009 when he awaited the green light to return to Canada from Sudan.
Speed was a possible factor in a Tuesday night rollover involving a semi-truck that left 17 cows dead. In a news release Wednesday, Calgary police said officers were called to the area of Stoney Trail S.E. and Macleod Trail S.E. around 8:10 p.m. for a reported rollover involving a semi-truck carrying 95 cattle.
A Real Canadian Superstore in B.C.'s Fraser Valley was evacuated Tuesday night due to a "suspicious" fire in the toilet paper aisle, according to authorities.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Trash carried by a North Korean balloon fell on the presidential compound in central Seoul on Thursday, officials said, the second such case in recent months that raise concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean sites during potential North Korean aggression.
Turkiye鈥檚 air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defence company that killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others.
The Justice Department warned Elon Musk鈥檚 America PAC in recent days that his US$1 million sweepstakes to registered voters in swing states may violate federal law, people briefed on the matter told CNN.
If you鈥檙e a regular visitor to Walt Disney World, your annual passes are going to cost you more. The resort in Orlando, Fla., hiked prices on all four levels of its passes on Wednesday.
Three people were found dead Wednesday and four others were hospitalized after an 'unexplained' incident at a care home in southern England, police said.
The U.S. said Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops have deployed to Russia and are training at several locations, calling the move very serious and warning that those forces will be 'fair game' if they go into combat in Ukraine.
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
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McDonald鈥檚 worked Wednesday to reassure customers that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to the fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
A quick shake of the head after a hard hit could signal that a person has a concussion, a new study suggests, based on the experiences of young athletes.
A recall has been issued for certain clothing items sold at Giant Tiger stores over high levels of lead, according to a notice published by Health Canada Tuesday.
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Officials in Hong Kong said Wednesday they have discovered dinosaur fossils in the city for the first time on a remote, uninhabited island that's part of a geopark.
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Cardi B says she has been hospitalized with a medical emergency and will have to miss a Saturday night headlining performance at an Atlanta music festival.
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Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.
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Starbucks Corp suspended its forecast through the next fiscal year as new CEO Brian Niccol looks to turn around the coffee giant struggling with falling demand for its pricey drinks.
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The Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia's Kootenay National Park has undergone a $29-million makeover.
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Evan Mobley had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 136-106 rout in Toronto's home opener on Wednesday as the Raptors also lost starting point guard Immanuel Quickley.
Former 'Malcolm in the Middle' star Frankie Muniz is set to continue his NASCAR career with a full-time ride in the Truck Series for 2025.
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
A senior executive for Volkswagen in China has been deported for allegedly using cocaine and marijuana while on vacation in Thailand, according to Chinese authorities and German media reports.
The U.S. government's road safety agency is investigating Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.
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A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
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Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante will not be seeking re-election.
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A Manitoba inmate who was released from custody by mistake has been arrested, according to Winnipeg police.
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Southey RCMP say drivers should expect delays on Highway 6 Wednesday night after a serious crash.
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Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.
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The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
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Barrie police conducted a search on Wednesday of the last place Autumn Shaganash was seen in hopes of giving her family some answers to her mysterious disappearance.
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The Windsor Jewish Federation responded on Wednesday evening to a decision by the board of governors for the University of Windsor concerning its agreements with pro-Palestinian protesters.
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Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.
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Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
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Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
Graduate students looking to become mental-health professionals will have more opportunities to study in the University of Lethbridge鈥檚 Master of Education Counselling Psychology program.
A dazzling light display is making its return to Lethbridge this holiday season.
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Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.
Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland earlier on the weekend.
Police in western Newfoundland say a 77-year-old man visiting the province from Kansas is missing after a fire at a hotel in Deer Lake, N.L.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, the scene at the Lions Club in Clarenville, N.L., rivalled any rowdy St. John's bar that thumps with music late on a weekend night.
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