What the Manhattan DA office taught us about a Trump vs. DeSantis 2024 contest

The possibility of a coming indictment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office against Donald Trump has revealed how a potential 2024 Republican primary campaign between Trump and Republican Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, would play out.

DeSantis pushed back against the possible indictment, but not strenuously enough for some of Trump’s supporters, while also restating his case for the former president’s lack of fitness for the nomination. Trump immediately retaliated, scaled up his attacks against DeSantis, and hinted at future personal attacks against him.

There are risks for Trump here, as he could come across as childish and beneath the presidency by attacking fellow Republicans. DeSantis, on the other hand, can easily abandon his subtle criticisms of Trump and support him as the nominee when the time comes. However, Trump’s approach of going for the jugular has worked in the past against his opponents.

The language of the campaign between the two candidates, pitting the understated DeSantis against the full-fledged political knife fights of Trump, is already taking shape. The rest of the Republican field will be hoping that the top two candidates weaken each other enough to give another candidate an opening.

The contest raises larger themes, including whether the Republican primaries should be about loyalty to Trump or the competent implementation of a Trumpist agenda, who can be counted on to carry out that agenda most faithfully, and who better represents resistance to the perceived weaponization of government by the Left.