Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, following a disastrous campaign and a weak second-place showing in Iowa, ended his presidential ambitions this month — a rapid fall for a figure once considered a rising GOP star and potential post-Trump savior. And the Miami Herald editorial board fears that Floridians will face the brunt of DeSantis' anger over his humiliation for the next three years.
DeSantis' change in tone was evident, the board wrote, from the second he announced he would veto a proposed GOP bill that would establish a state defense fund awarding up to $5 million to former President Donald Trump to pay his legal expenses.
"It may not have been for the right reason — revenge politics, rather than good governance — but DeSantis actually did the right thing by getting that ludicrous bill killed. Florida taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for an ex-president’s defense. Let Trump get that money from his donors or from his own fortune," wrote the board.
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However, they added, it portends something darker coming in DeSantis' plans to round out his second term — assuming.
"In Iowa, before he quit the race, DeSantis accused Trump of liking Republicans who 'kiss the ring,' even if they are lousy members of the party. He also said he didn’t think Trump could win if he’s in the general election pitted against President Joe Biden," wrote the board. "That leaves Florida with a wounded, grudge-bearing governor who is out to prove he still can exert power. And an insurrectionist ex-president intent on revenge for losing the seat four years ago."
These types of grudge matches are old hat for DeSantis, they noted, who tried to use the power of the legislature to harass Disney for a year after they criticized his LGBTQ policy.
This rivalry, in short, "leaves Floridians right in the cross-hairs, for three interminable years," the board concluded.
