If Trump wins the election, Vance will be his heir apparent, and DeSantis will be lost in the political wilderness for the foreseeable future. But what if Trump loses? Will DeSantis be able to win over the base in 2028 by saying “I told you so?”
I doubt it, for three reasons. First, the base has never shown any inclination to forgive disloyalty, which DeSantis displayed by running against Trump before his time. Second, DeSantis will retain all of the personality defects that made him a poor candidate the last time around. Finally, Vance has economic ideas that, whether you agree with them or not (I obviously don’t), are actually intended to help struggling American workers. DeSantis has never shown that he wants to improve anyone’s life; all he wants to do is stick it to woke people.