As far as DeSantis is concerned, God created him to be president, and who is he to deny the divine will? He has consequently convinced himself that the reactionary base still loves him; it only wanted him to wait his turn. As a result, he has dropped out earlier than expected and endorsed Trump. His reward, he imagines, will be the nomination in 2028.
DeSantis isn’t Ted Cruz; I fully expect him to do everything in his power to elect Trump between now and November. Nevertheless, I think he’s kidding himself if he believes the base will forgive him for his presumption in challenging their hero. In addition, he will be out of office by the beginning of 2027. Where will he go to generate headlines and win free time on Fox News?
His time has come and gone. The GOP nominee in 2028, if we even have an election at that point, won’t be one of the Class of 2024.