Dem
47
GOP
53
Sorry, this post has been kind of a downer so far. The fact is, if you're not a member of the cult MAGA
Militia, there isn't a whole lot to gladden your heart these days. But that doesn't mean there is nothing to
gladden your heart. In fact, yesterday witnessed the potential opening salvo in two different cases of MAGA-on-MAGA
violence.
The much bigger story, and the one that is considerably more likely to linger, involves Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who is a walking testament to the power of positive delusion. He has consistently fooled himself into believing that somehow, some way, he and Donald Trump can be allies. This entirely overlooks the facts that: (1) Trump is not actually allies with anyone; everyone who is in his "circle" is someone who can be fired or banished at will by The Donald; (2) Florida is not big enough for two egos the size of Trump and DeSantis; and (3) DeSantis dared challenge the throne last year, and Trump does not forgive or forget something like that.
As of yesterday, an absolute battle royale is brewing between the President and the Governor. DeSantis, of course, is term-limited. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) has not filed his paperwork yet, but has otherwise made clear he's running for governor of Florida in 2026. Further, as he is the most obedient Trump lapdog in the Florida House delegation (since Matt Gaetz resigned), Donalds quickly picked up a presidential endorsement.
The problem here is that DeSantis does not like Donalds, and does not want Donalds to be his successor. Who is DeSantis' preferred choice? That would be his wife, Casey DeSantis. Yesterday, the Sunshine State power couple appeared together, and the Governor made sure to communicate two things: (1) He thinks his wife is the best possible gubernatorial candidate the Republican Party has, and (2) He thinks Donalds is kind of a loser. "We've achieved victories in Florida," he remarked. "A guy like Byron, he just hasn't been a part of any of the victories that we've had here over the left over these last years."
Undoubtedly, Ron is having his people do polling to see if Casey is viable. Presumably she is, and if she jumps in, it's going to be a very bloody clash. Obviously, Ron DeSantis is not going to toss his wife under the bus (after all, he's not Ted Cruz). And there is no chance that Trump jumps ship on a fawning lackey like Donalds, especially for the wife of a much-disliked rival. If Gaetz also gets in, then it gets more interesting, still. The primary isn't until August 18, 2026, so this could linger for well over a year.
Meanwhile, the undercard, as it were, involves Tucker Carlson and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX). It's not clear exactly how MAGA Carlson is, since he's said some very unflattering things about Trump. However, the former Fox entertainer and current podcaster has to at least pretend to be MAGA, because that is what his audience demands. Meanwhile, in a vacuum, Crenshaw would not be MAGA at all; he would be a garden-variety Reagan Republican. However, MAGA is what voters in TX-02 demand, and so the Representative pretends to be MAGA.
The two men don't actually know each other, but they certainly do know OF each other, and they have certainly taken potshots at each other on social media. In particular, Carlson is either a Russian operative or a useful idiot, while Crenshaw is strongly pro-Ukraine. Yesterday, the Representative did an interview with a conservative outlet in the U.K. in which he criticized Carlson's stance on Ukraine, declaring that Carlson "doesn't know what he's talking about." Fair enough; we would agree with that assessment. However, once Crenshaw thought the microphones were off, he shared some additional sentiments that were a wee bit more unfiltered. Describing Carlson as "the worst person," Crenshaw threatened: "If I ever meet him, I'll fu**ing kill him."
Carlson decided that the only way to meet that challenge was head on, and so offered to send Crenshaw his address. Be careful what you wish for, Tucker; the Representative is a former Navy SEAL, and you have... eaten a lot of Campbell's Soup. Crenshaw, for his part, laughed off Carlson's response and said that there was no death threat, despite the fact that the footage is all over the Internet. This conflict has been simmering for a good, long time—we'll see if this causes it to explode in the next few weeks and months. (Z)