Is Donald Trump Moving Up?

BY BOB MORGAN, JR. PhotograPhy

It may not be happy news for those of us rooting against a 2024 rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, but Mr. Trump may have a bit of recent momentum.

For a while, it appeared that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, after his decisive re-election victory, would soon overtake the former President in national polling among Republicans. Mr. DeSantis certainly has a good story to tell for Republican primary voters, including an approach to the pandemic that emphasized reopening of businesses and schools, a thriving state economy without income taxes and strong stands on social issues appealing to conservatives.

But Mr. DeSantis’s ascendancy hasn’t happened, at least yet. Indeed, Mr. Trump has widened his advantage somewhat in the polls, with the latest Real Clear Politics average showing Mr. Trump with 44.3 percent and Mr. DeSantis with 29.2 percent support among GOP leaning respondents. Meanwhile, both Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis run about the same against President Biden in trial heats, which are generally close.

Some of the troubles of Mr. DeSantis at the current stage of the campaign relate to Florida law, effectively making him complete the legislative session before he can declare his national candidacy. He can’t really do campaign appearances and is basically confined to parrying Mr. Trump’s name calling and attacks, including very exaggerated claims that Florida was locked down during the pandemic. He is also coming under more scrutiny from usually hostile media, which now claims that he is cold and lacks social skills.

Nevertheless, Mr. DeSantis probably didn’t help himself with some Republicans by his position on the Ukraine war. There is a widespread reluctance within the party to give the Ukrainians a blank check and caution about escalation of tensions with a nuclear-armed Russia. But characterizing Vladimir Putin’s aggression as merely a “territorial dispute” goes too far, and Mr. DeSantis had to walk back those remarks. It’s a closer question, but