April 19 2023
It's been fifty days since Ron DeSantis' "The Courage to Be Free" book was released.
"The only people who like Ron DeSantis are the people who have never met him. The more America is exposed to Ron DeSantis, the more his poll numbers plummet. Republicans are united around President Trump and are eager to take the fight to Joe Biden and the Democrats," --- Taylor Budowich, CEO of MAGA Inc.
- February 28, 2023 – The Courage to be Free is released
- March 4, 2023 – Trump overwhelmingly wins the CPAC Straw Poll.
- Donald Trump -- 62 percent Ron DeSantis -- 20 percent
- March 13, 2023 – DeSantis calls the Ukraine War a “territorial dispute” in a statement to Tucker Carlson.
- DeSantis’ comments are attacked by prominent Republicans.
- March 17, 2023 – Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) endorses Trump. Rep. Luna was the second GOP Congressman from FL to endorse President Trump. Rep. Matt Gaetz was first.
- March 17, 2023 – New York Times: “DeSantis, on Defense, Shows Signs of Slipping in Polls”
- March 18, 2023 – President Trump says he will be arrested by Alvin Bragg in NYC.
- March 20, 2023 – Ron DeSantis finally responds after two days of silence in a press conference where he says he has “real issues” to focus on instead.
- Candace Owens: “Anyone surprised by this? Been saying this forever: Desantis is a good Governor but he is establishment and will be a major disappointment to those who think otherwise. People disenchanted with Trump (sometimes rightfully) saw things in Desantis that were never there.”
- Fox’s Pete Hegseth: “I was actually disappointed in Ron DeSantis today. He talked about the political persecution, but he started with a too-cute-by-half political jab at Trump by saying, “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star.” And the donors kind of chuckled. In some ways it felt sanctimonious. It felt like a Jeb Bush sort of Scott Walker cheap shot. I don’t think that’s going to work.”
- Rep. Troy Nehls: "The comments made by Governor Ron DeSantis about the possible indictment and arrest of President Donald Trump were unfair. The American people now know DeSantis is not yet ready to lead our country. America needs leadership, and Donald Trump will deliver again in 2024."
- March 21, 2023 – Monmouth University polling shows massive growth in support for President Trump
- Monmouth's March poll: Trump — 41% DeSantis — 27%
- Monmouth's February poll: DeSantis — 33% Trump — 33%
- Monmouth's December poll: DeSantis — 39% Trump — 26%
- March 23, 2023 – DeSantis attempts to walk back his Ukraine statement and says his own words were “mischaracterized.” He adds that Putin is a “war criminal.”
- Ron is attacked for the flip-flop.
- Fox’s Tucker Carlson attacks politicians who cave to media pressure and say "childish slogans" like Vladimir "Putin is a war criminal"
- Fox’s Steve Hilton: "Piers and Tucker have completely different views on Ukraine, but Ron Dukakis was trying to agree with them both. It is weakness and incompetence and flip-flopping and pandering all squished into one deeply unserious episode."
- March 24, 2023 – NBC News:“Ron DeSantis' donors and allies question if he's ready for 2024”
- March 25, 2023 – Newsweek: “Steve Bannon Declares Ron DeSantis 'Controlled Opposition’”
- March 25, 2023 – Bloomberg: “Ron DeSantis isn’t officially running for president yet, but he just suffered through the kind of week a candidate for the highest office in the US would love to forget.”
- March 29, 2023 – Quinnipiac University poll finds that nearly 8 in 10 Republican voters (79 percent) consider themselves supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement started by President Trump.
- March 30, 2023 – Bloomberg: “Disney Outmaneuvers DeSantis in Clash Over Theme Park District”
- April 1, 2023 – Yahoo News: Post-indictment poll: Trump surges to largest-ever lead over DeSantis
- Yahoo: As recently as February, it was DeSantis who was narrowly ahead of Trump, 45% to 41%. But the new, post-indictment poll suddenly finds Trump lapping DeSantis by 26 percentage points — 57% to 31% — in a one-on-one contest. The former president even attracts majority support (52%, up from 44% previously) when pitted against a wider, 10-candidate field of declared and potential GOP challengers, while DeSantis plummets to 21% (down from 28%).
- April 3, 2023: WMUR: “Poll shows Trump with dominant lead in New Hampshire Republican primary race”
- April 6, 2023: “Poll: Donald Trump holds 15-point lead in Iowa over Ron DeSantis”
- April 6, 2023 – Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) endorses President Trump. (Third from FL)
- April 10, 2023 – Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) endorses President Trump. (4th from FL)
- April 10, 2023 – Trump Leads Florida Primary Poll
- Victory Insights: Trump is at 46.6 percent in the head-to-head poll and DeSantis is at 31.8 percent.
- April 11, 2023 -- Candace Owens: "I Don't Trust DeSantis on the World Stage"
- April 12, 2023 – SC Post and Courier:“South Carolina Republicans are giving Donald Trump the nod as the clear early favorite in South Carolina’s 2024 Republican presidential primary, where he enjoys a comfortable double-digit lead over his closest competitors.”
- April 13, 2023 – Breitbart: “North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd Endorses Donald Trump for President”
- April 16, 2023 – Insider: “A mega wealthy GOP donor in Florida who initially wanted to back Governor Ron DeSantis should he run for president said he's taking it back.”
- April 17, 2023 – Tennessee Senators Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn endorse Trump making nine Senate GOP endorsements for Trump. That's nearly 20 percent of the conference.
- April 17, 2023 – Rep. Greg Steube becomes the fifth Republican Congressman from Florida to endorse Trump.
- April 18, 2023 – J.L. Partners poll shows President Trump has a 33-point lead among New Hampshire primary voters.
- Trump — 51% DeSantis — 18%
- April 18, 2023 – Rep. John Rutherford and Rep. Brian Mast become the sixth and the seventh Republican Congressman from Florida to endorse Trump
- April 19, 2023 – Politico: “DeSantis is in a rut. His trek to D.C. didn’t help.”
- April 19, 2023 – Bloomberg: “Rich GOP Donors Want a Trump Alternative. DeSantis Has Them Worried.”
- April 19, 2023 – Vern Buchanan becomes the eighth Republican Congressman from Florida to endorse Trump.
- April 19, 2023 – Insider: “DeSantis keeps losing home-state endorsements to Trump, and the Florida governor's recent visit to DC didn't produce any converts”