Kayleigh McEnany, a former press secretary for Donald Trump and current Fox News contributor, stated that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has the potential to win the 2024 GOP presidential primary, even against Trump himself.
During her appearance on “Fox & Friends,” McEnany shared her perspective ahead of DeSantis’ anticipated official announcement of his candidacy. In an attempt to differentiate herself from her previous employer, she provided political guidance to the DeSantis campaign. McEnany advised the campaign to prioritize policy matters instead of resorting to Trump’s tendency for personal attacks.
“If I’m on the DeSantis campaign,” McEnany advised, “I’m looking at this, and I’m saying, ‘Where am I to the right of Trump? I’m to the right of him on Disney and corporate America and fighting for children. I’m to the right of him on abortion. I’m to the right of him on vaccination mandates.’”
McEnany added: “Trump’s not for mandates, of course, but he did call himself the father of the vaccine. If I’m DeSantis, I’m going to ignore the name-calling, knock it in the mud, and I’m going to cleave to the right on policy.”
Speculation has been rampant on the internet regarding the upcoming announcement of the Florida governor’s candidacy, slated for Wednesday evening. Notably, the news is accompanied by reports that Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and Twitter, is set to endorse and support the governor.
While it is still early in the polling process and Governor DeSantis has not formally declared his presidential aspirations, most polls indicate that he is currently behind the former president. However, in a hypothetical matchup against President Joe Biden, DeSantis fares significantly better compared to Trump.
Fox News works for Ron DeSanctimonious, and Kayleigh McEnany sold her soul to Fox News!
— Freedom 🇺🇸🦅 (@PU28453638) May 24, 2023
Sad 😢 pic.twitter.com/49aG5xpSjD
Kayleigh McEnany, in remarks that seemed to criticize Donald Trump, offered advice to GOP candidate Nikki Haley, urging her to alter her campaign approach. McEnany proposed that attacking Governor DeSantis by drawing comparisons to Trump might actually backfire and harm Trump’s reputation more than it affects the Florida governor.
“I am deeply confused by the Nikki Haley campaign against DeSantis,” said McEnany. “You’re reminding people that DeSantis is like Trump, which is a good thing in a Republican primary because Trump is enormously popular.”
According to McEnany’s suggestion, a significant number of GOP voters are seeking a candidate similar to DeSantis. This candidate would possess conservative values akin to Trump but exhibit a more restrained approach. Additionally, this candidate would hold positions further to the right of Trump on issues such as parental rights, abortion, and COVID-related mandates.
