DeSantis and Haley walk tightrope, hold back on criticizing Trump
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley Face GOP Attacks for Not Criticizing Trump
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley are facing GOP attacks for their failure to criticize former President Donald Trump sufficiently as they duke it out to be the sole alternative in the 2024 GOP presidential race.
Both DeSantis and Haley have approached criticism of Trump carefully and intentionally, but such apprehension to pounce on their opponent has drawn criticism from some, namely former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is also vying for the Republican White House nomination.
Christie’s Criticism
“This is the problem with my three colleagues. They’re afraid to offend Donald Trump,” Christie claimed on the Republican National Committee’s debate stage last week, noting that Haley, DeSantis, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are hesitant to go after Trump in a fierce manner or on certain topics.
One strategist has a theory as to why this is. “It hasn’t worked for Christie,” Iowa Republican strategist David Kochel said of the former governor’s consistent attacks on Trump. “His negatives are through the roof.”
“I don’t think it would be beneficial for them to be more blunt in their criticism of Trump,” said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, who also pointed to Christie “having the lowest favorability rating of any candidate.”
He added that “about half of primary voters [say] he’s the candidate they will not vote for under any circumstances.”
As Smith explained, Christie’s strategy of focusing his campaign on criticizing Trump hasn’t gained him traction during the 2024 race, in which he has remained in the single digits nationally. In New Hampshire, where he has been spending nearly all of his campaign, he still falls significantly behind Trump and several points behind Haley, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average in the state.
Further, the former New Jersey governor is wildly unfavorable among Republicans. According to a recent Monmouth University Poll, he was seen as favorable by just 12%, while 65% had unfavorable opinions of him.
While Christie hit his opponents for refusing to denounce Trump as explicitly as he has and continues to do, they each notably qualified for the fourth debate easily. On the other hand, there was significant concern that Christie may not qualify for the matchup because it was disputed whether he reached the national polling threshold. However, he ultimately qualified to take the stage, per the RNC.
Strategist’s Perspective
Haley and DeSantis aren’t pouncing on Trump because they “are trying to attract Trump voters that like the former president but might want an alternative,” according to Republican strategist Ron Bonjean.
In the latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa poll, 46% of voters said they are still open to supporting a different candidate and are not locked in with just five weeks until the caucuses. DeSantis and Haley are the top two second choices in the survey, suggesting there are likely Trump supporters who could end up choosing them, or vice versa, given Trump is also the second choice of 13% of respondents. If attacks were to be elevated against Trump, opponents might risk the consideration of those voters.
This, he noted, is “a difficult situation” because they remain far behind Trump and can’t afford “not to start taking more chances.” However, taking chances on new and harsher lines of attack against Trump is “a high-risk, low-reward situation.”
Kochel echoed the risky nature of these attacks, claiming, “At this point it, if there’s something we know would work, it would have been done.”
“We don’t know” if taking it to Trump as they have other opponents would be effective, explained Republican strategist Doug Heye. “We just know that it hasn’t been tried.”
DeSantis has been willing to hit Trump for not delivering on his campaign promises, namely finishing the southern border wall, and for his inability to serve two terms if he’s reelected in 2024. Though he hasn’t waded into the name-calling and more pointed criticism that Trump has employed against him.
Haley has relied on tying Trump to baggage and chaos, without being all that specific. She’s further done so without necessarily taking positions on the legal troubles Trump is facing. “Rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him,” Haley said recently. “And we can’t have a country in disarray in a world on fire and survive this chaos. We have to have a new generational conservative leader.”
Either of them could have been hammering home that Trump has spent a significant amount of time in court instead of on the campaign trail and pointing to his legal trouble as a distraction from beating President Joe Biden, Heye said. “None of them have ever made that case,” he said.
“Their official position in all of this is Donald Trump is a victim, and I’m not going to do anything politically to benefit,” he said. “OK, so how are you going to win? You’re not because you’re not really trying to win.”
Future Contrasts
“Right now, Haley and DeSantis are fighting to get into [second] place so they can be the alternative to Trump,” Republican strategist John Feehery explained. “When they get to be that alternative, that’s when they need to start defining differences with Trump.”
Smith predicted these contrasts may be drawn sooner, suggesting that “both DeSantis and Haley will get more pointed in their criticism as the [New Hampshire] primary approaches.”
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What potential benefits and risks do DeSantis and Haley face by not directly confronting Trump and instead positioning themselves as a more moderate alternative
Would be successful, Bonjean added, noting that “it’s a big gamble, and it could blow up in their faces.”
However, not everyone agrees with this cautious approach. Some critics argue that DeSantis and Haley are failing in their duty to hold Trump accountable for his actions and rhetoric.
Failing to Confront Trump
One of the key issues raised by critics is the reluctance of DeSantis and Haley to call out Trump for his controversial statements and policies. They argue that as potential presidential candidates, it is their responsibility to stand up to the former president and show leadership.
According to Lisa Lerer, a political reporter for The New York Times, “Trump’s hold on the party has made it nearly impossible for other Republicans to carve out a separate path. The fear of incurring his wrath and alienating his supporters is a powerful deterrent.”
This fear is not unfounded. Trump still commands a loyal following within the GOP, and any direct criticism of him could result in backlash from his base.
In addition, the political landscape has changed significantly since Trump left office. The Republican Party has become more divided, with Trumpian populism on one side and traditional conservatism on the other. DeSantis and Haley must navigate this delicate balance in order to stay relevant in the party.
While some critics view their cautious approach as a weakness, others see it as a strategic move. By not directly confronting Trump, DeSantis and Haley are able to position themselves as a more palatable alternative to the former president.
As Bonjean explained, “If they can convince enough voters that they are the true heirs to Trump’s agenda, but without the divisive rhetoric and controversial behavior, they could emerge as strong contenders in the 2024 race.”
In conclusion, the reluctance of Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley to criticize former President Donald Trump has drawn criticism from within the GOP. However, their cautious approach may be a strategic move to appeal to Trump’s base while also positioning themselves as a more moderate alternative. Whether this strategy will pay off remains to be seen, but one thing is clear – the battle for the 2024 GOP nomination is shaping up to be a fierce competition.
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