GOP strategist complains that MAGA voters are angrier at DeSantis than Alvin Bragg
As former President Donald Trump likely faces imminent indictment over his $130,000 hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) — widely considered to be planning a presidential run of his own to challenge Trump in 2024 — gave a speech attacking Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, but also needling Trump over his legal predicament and making clear he won't use the power of the state to provide him help. This was met with rage from Trump's supporters.
On CNN Monday night, longtime Mitch McConnell strategist Scott Jennings bemoaned the GOP infighting.
"It was pretty amazing, I will say, that moment," said anchor Erin Burnett. "I mean, I wouldn't know about how many times you get the hush money and porn star in there, and then defending."
"I think that is one of the things that would scare Donald Trump," said former New York Democratic Party executive Basil Smikle Jr. in the panel. "The fact that, number one, Ron DeSantis is a governor has executive authority. He knows how to use the budget to get his political ends. This is the same guy who was influencing these hyper local school board elections. So it is clear that he understands how this thing works, and for him to be able to go up on TV every single time and say 'I don't know how hush money works', I imagine that's going to be over and over and over again in commercials everywhere."
"And amazing that that wasn't the part that upset Trump," said Burnett. "Trump was upset by another part of the statement, and of course responded by taking it straight down to the gutter."
"Absolutely," said Jennings. "I've been trying to sort out the politics of all of this today. The Trump people are going crazy. They're more angry with DeSantis than they are with Bragg. If you analyze this through the lens of judgment, Donald Trump and Bragg, maybe they have the worst judgment here. DeSantis is the one who actually, via his answer, exercised some good judgment. I mean, Ron DeSantis did not cause Donald Trump to have sex with a porn star while his wife was at home, pregnant. Ron DeSantis is not causing Alvin Bragg to bring a dog of a case. DeSantis gave a reasonable answer today that I think would probably sound reasonable to 90 percent of Americans. I thought he did a good job today, and I don't understand why the Trump people believe that it's a political opponent's job to defend him from his own terrible judgment. DeSantis did not do any of the things that got Trump into this trouble in the first place."
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