Trump vs DeSantis in 2024 - who is more dangerous?

[dwayneb]

The recent good news, is that according to a July 5 poll by NYT and Siena college, less than half of Republicans would support Trump if he runs again in 2024.

I think this link goes around the NYT paywall, it's a pdf showing the poll results.
https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/us0722-crosstabs-nyt071222/0f9f399b059138f9/full.pdf

While Trumps popularity among the Fascists appears to be on the decline, the alarming fact is that the runner-up to Trump is DeSantis. In some ways, DeSantis worries me more that Trump.

Trump is so narcissistic that he could never keep his feelings and plans secret for long. While he is always erratic, he's also very predictable. We know exactly what he will do or say in any given situation, it's all about manipulating his dim-witted cult members.

To me there are two reasons why DeSantis is more dangerous than Trump.

1) He is shrewder than Trump. He would have no problem corrupting our military and DOJ and Federal police forces on the lowdown, while projecting "nothing to see here" to the American public. In secret, he could go a lot further than Trump to establish the authoritarian Christo-Fascist state that the Radical Right has dreamed about since before WWII.

2) DeSantis has a true ideological/political focus, he is a true Fascist, whereas Trump was simply an opportunist who hijacked the Republican party in order to stroke his own bloated ego.

Curious what others here think about it.

[tanyev]

1. DeSantis--if a health crisis or something else completely took Trump out of the equation.

If Trump is determined to go for it and DeSantis directly challenges him, now that could get interesting.

[dwayneb]

2. OK - why is DeSantis preferable to Trump?

To me the man seems more dangerous that Trump for the reasons I mentioned. Don't get me wrong either of them are dictator wannabes would likely finish the job of destroying the rule of law in the USA. But to me, DeSantis is a true modern Fascist, whereas Trump has no real political beliefs.

[tanyev]

3. Your question was who is more dangerous and I answered DeSantis.

[dwayneb]

5. Gotcha - thanks (nm)

[Phoenix61]

4. He's smarter than TFG but no less narcissistic.

His only focus is the WH. If he thought singing kumbaya naked on a surf board would get him the votes he’d do it. I firmly believe his attacks on business will back fire. He has picked fights with the cruise line industry, the Mouse, social media, and most recently investment firms. It plays well with his base but I don’t see it translating to national support from the corporate sector.

[dwayneb]

6. That's a good point

In some ways, while we have to fault Corporate America from fleecing us at every turn, they serve as the brake on full blown Fascism. Dumping the Constitution in the trash and triggering civil war is not good for business.

[Phoenix61]

8. No it's not and destroying public education isn't good

for it either. Hard to have high-tech industry without a literate and trainable workforce.

[dwayneb]

20. As an engineer I agree with that

I'm a retired engineer worked in automotive and aerospace industries.

The large enterprises I worked with struggled to get the talent they needed from within the USA.

[FarPoint]

7. DeSatin is dangerous...

tRump will not run ..He will be too busy with multiple court trials

[dwayneb]

11. I am leaning toward the same conclusion

Especially after seeing that photo of him without makeup at the golf course, it seems Trump is either losing it, or has decided not to run.

DeSantis is a deeply sick man, his brand of evil is more insidious that Trump, or it seems that way to me.

[Buckeyeblue]

9. DeSantis doesn't seem to have the personality to get the attention that Trump got

DeSantis barely won Florida. He'll probably get reelected because encumbants rarely lose. But I'm not sure how he'll play on a national stage.

A great deal depends on how the voters react to the conservative over reaches we are seeing.

If voters push back I think that might give the edge to a more moderate candidate. If voters don't push back, we are all screwed.

[Freddie]

13. Agree

In 2016 many people didn’t know TFG as a politician, just the guy on TV. And a lot of people (I know a couple) voted for him because he was an unknown factor and “what do we have to lose.” They found out. DeSantis is pretty well known as well as his horrible inclinations. And he doesn’t have “charisma”.

[marble falls]

10. That's a Hobson's choice. A curse on both of them.

[dwayneb]

12. Had to look up "Hobson's choice"

Had never heard that one before.

Agreed, but the reason I mention these two is that they seem to be the top of the heap right now, according to that poll, 49% of Republicans would prefer Trump and 25% would prefer DeSantis.

I wish both of them would burn in hell. But the reality is that one of them could become President in 2024. Being forewarned is being forearmed.

[marble falls]

15. Early front runners tend to fail before the convention. As panic sets in the GOP will ...

... tap a Romney, or as close as they can get. There are a couple of Governors that are not 45ers or DeSantisnistas.

I bet you are younger than I by 20 years at least. We had a local garage band in the early 60s, that played all the proms and dances called "Hobson's Choice". It was a book some of us'd get in English class.

[dwayneb]

17. That's a hopeful outlook

And in a pre-Trump world I would have agreed with you. Now I'm not so sure that cooler heads will prevail.

The Radical Right opportunists have a taste for it now. They understand well that to keep their seats they must pander to their constituents who in many states would love to take us back to the 1950's.

[lark]

14. I think he's less dangerous because he's less criminal.

He wouldn't try to kill us for personal profit,l ike drumpf did, just for political profit. So in a pandemic, the hospitals would be able to get the supplies they needed without the 15x markup and more people would have lived. They are both total fascists, which puts rw radical ideology in lockstep with the rich industrialists and bankers, and both are very dangerous. I don't know if our country would survive Death Sentence but I know for sure we would not survive a 2nd drumpf stolen win.

[BlueTsunami2018]

16. I'd much rather run against Тяцмр.

But that seems increasingly unlikely as the legal wolves reach the door and even the propagandists turn against him. Soon enough, he’s going to be tossed aside and DeSantis will be fully anointed as the new standard bearer.

He’s every bit as dangerous as Piss Wig and even more so because, as much as I hate to say it, he’ll probably win. He’s a younger, savvier version of the asshole and if his actions as Governor are any indication, and they certainly are, of how he’d run the country, we’re fucked.

We’ll be Hungary before the end of the decade.

The best case scenario, as insane as this may sound, is that Тяцмр somehow is able to run, loses the primary and runs as an independent MAGAt candidate.

DeSantis is far more dangerous at this point.

[dwayneb]

18. My take on it too

Everyone is so focused on sewer dweller Trump that it's hard to imagine that someone could be worse.

Like I mentioned earlier, DeSantis is different from Trump in that he is ideologically, a true Fascist. Trump is just a con-man who hijacked the GOP in order to stroke his own bloated ego by becoming President.

[Poiuyt]

30. Unfortunately, I think you're right

[DakotaSnow]

19. DeSantis

DeSantis would be a tougher opponent. People over-estimate Trumps base. They're much smaller now, but soooooo loud. It's deceiving. DeSantis has a much broader appeal to anyone right of center than Trump does.

[dwayneb]

21. What I'm afraid of

If Trump runs in 2024 there's a good chance he could be defeated, as the man appears to be falling apart more every day.

DeSantis might be "popular" with the green teethers out in the backwoods.

[eppur_se_muova]

22. I never want to find out. nt

[nycbos]

23. DeSantis

He is smarter.

[PJMcK]

24. Trump, undoubtedly

Without question, DeSantis is far smarter and far more familiar with the levers of power. He would not be a good president he would be a terrible president and a threat to all Americans.

Trump, on the other hand, should he regain the presidency, will be all about revenge and vindictiveness. He has already demonstrated that he doesn’t know how to run the federal bureaucracy so he’ll destroy it. Rather than using the government to accomplish good things, Trump will destroy it resulting in all the troubles we’ve already seen such as a non-reaction to health crisis and foolish forays in foreign policy.

My personal opinion is that Trump will not get the nomination in 2024. DeSantis looks like the front runner. But that’s a long time away in politics. Who knows what’s gonna happen in the next year and a half?

Still, I think Trump is the greater danger to our country

[kairos12]

25. Chump.

He has absolutely no limits as to what he will do, and is motivated exclusively by revenge.

[telegramsam]

26. DeSantis, mainly because of antivax stuff

Trump at least feels the need to tout COVID vaccines so he can take credit or them. DeSantis has let antivaxxers call the shots in Florida, to the point of actively interfering with parents' choice to vaccinate their young children.

The idea that DeSantis would be more respectful of democratic processes is wishful thinking bordering on the delusional.

[Chainfire]

27. The ideal situation would be if Trump and DeSantis have a fight to the death

for the Republican nomination. The nastier the better; all that they have to do is tell the truth about each other.

I honestly believe that DeSantis is more dangerous to our way of life than Trump. Trump is a clown, DeSantis is the essence of evil.

[SKKY]

28. DeSantis by a country mile...

...but we'll see. We haven't seen him on the national stage much, so let's see how he does.

[dwayneb]

33. Either one a disaster for the USA but

I feel that DeSantis is shrewder and will be more likely to work under the cover of darkness. Trump will announce his plans and intentions to the world so at least we always know where the scumbag is taking us.

[Tom Rinaldo]

29. DeSantis is more likely to be elected, Trump would be more dangerous were he to be elected

DeSantis is probably realistically more of a threat because has a better chance of winning and becoming POTUS where he would be plenty dangerous. But if Trump somehow manages to gain control of the White House again he will know no limits on his megalomania, and he will believe he has the mandate needed to be dictator and will only appoint people to the government who are totally subservient to him. Plus there is no evil too evil for Trump to use the bully pulpit to promote. He would openly organize the brown shirts.

[newdayneeded]

31. Trump, without a doubt

Trump has a cult following that would do any of his bidding, Trump, for some reason, has all of congress and senate terrified of him. Trump, is still stupid enough to use nukes because of a Twitter response or similar he doesn't like., Trump, because we now know he'll do as much or even more to retain power after 4 years.

DeSantis is no picnic, but, to me less dangerous.

[dwayneb]

34. Hadn't thought about nukes

Agree, Trump would be more likely to push the button on a whim when he goes into one of his tantrums.

Other than that though, DeSantis to me is more dangerous because he will take us down in secret. One day we will awaken and be under the boot in his police state.

[Handler]

32. That's a tough one..

Both are extremely dangerous but for different reasons. Trump is profoundly stupid but cunning and evil. DeSantis is smart and evil. Put a little mustache on DeSantis and, Bobs your uncle.