Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has described his “good relationship” with former President Donald Trump in his new book, “The Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival.” The book details his journey to becoming Florida’s governor and outlines his vision for the future of the country. Despite rumors of a potential 2024 presidential run, DeSantis has not yet officially announced his candidacy, but he is considered a front-runner for the GOP nomination against Trump.
DeSantis credited Trump’s “unique star power” as a major factor in his victory in the 2016 presidential election. He also defended Trump’s rise in the GOP as a response to the party’s grass roots’ desire for a leader who rejected the old way of doing business and addressed their concerns and aspirations. DeSantis also stated that Trump supported policies that resonated with the GOP base, which the party’s leaders in the DC swamp were either unable or unwilling to do.
Trump has recently launched attacks on DeSantis, calling him a “Rhino globalist” and nicknaming him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” Trump has claimed that his endorsement was the only reason DeSantis won the governor’s seat in 2020 and urged him not to run for president in 2024. However, DeSantis hinted that his record was the ultimate appeal to voters and that his relationship with Trump was due to his support for the former president’s initiatives and his opposition to the Russia collusion conspiracy theory.
DeSantis writes:
“Some DC commentators have opined that Donald Trump’s nomination represented a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. But this analysis gets it exactly backward.”
“Since Ronald Reagan flew back to California on January 20, 1989, the GOP grass roots had been longing for someone who rejected the old-guard way of doing business and who could speak to their concerns and aspirations. Trump supported policies that appealed to the base in a way that GOP leaders in the DC swamp had been either incapable of doing or unwilling to do.”
DeSantis also recounted how voters were angry with former House Speaker Paul Ryan after he withdrew his endorsement of Trump in 2016. The book is set to be released on February 28th, and it discusses DeSantis’s blueprint for America’s revival.