Ron Desantis: Donald Trump’s major Republican rival

For the last two years, many have expected former President Donald Trump to run again as the Republican Party nominee in 2024 and get his revenge on Joe Biden. But it now appears Mr Trump may not be as popular within the party as first thought. The midterms this week have thrown Mr Trump’s political capabilities into doubt. At least 14 of his preferred candidates have lost or are set to lose their election bids, and ABC reports that he is “fuming” as a result.Republican Party figures are questioning whether Mr Trump is the man to take back the White House, meaning attention is now turning to alternative options.One man who has impressed the GOP is Florida Governor Ron Desantis, who won reelection in the state at a canter. Like Mr Trump, he is an outspoken conservative voice. But his supporters say he also brings the added benefit of a coherent policy agenda to the table.But who is Ron Desantis, and will he run in 2024?Mr Desantis, 44, represents a younger, fresher presence in US politics. In a country where a number of prominent political figures are in their Seventies, the Florida Governor breaks from this mould. Ron Desantis entered the House of Representatives in 2012 (Image: Getty) Casey Desantis is a cancer survivor and award winning television host (Image: Getty) Trump and Desantis have clashed in recent days (Image: Getty)American voters will be interested in Mr Desantis’ record as Florida governor as his hopes of becoming a future US President continue to grow. The biggest issue he has faced in his four years as governor was the COVID-19 pandemic.Having initially imposed a tough lockdown, Mr Desantis loosened restrictions in April 2020. While other states continued with their cautious approach, Florida was notably more carefree despite rising positive cases.His views on LGBTQ rights and abortion are other areas of controversy. Earlier this year, he signed a bill that bans discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary schools – nicknamed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.On abortion, Mr Desantis has repeatedly expressed opposition, and it has previously been reported that he was planning a near-total ban in Florida.DON’T MISSTrump branded ‘biggest loser’ for Republicans after tragic midterms [INSIGHT]’Time for Republicans to end the Trump purgatory and begin new era’ [ANALYSIS]Donald Trump urged to delay White House bid announcement [INSIGHT] Trump branded Desantis an ‘average politician’ (Image: Getty) Biden says it will be fun to see Trump and Desantis go after each other (Image: Getty)As the 2024 election draws ever closer, many Republicans feel it should be Mr Desantis, not Mr Trump, who runs against President Biden. It is clear that the Florida governor has got under Mr Trump’s skin.The former President has lashed out at Mr Desantis, branding him an “average” politician and nicknaming him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”He added: “He was politically dead, losing in a landslide to a very good agriculture commissioner, Adam Putnam, who was loaded up with cash and great poll numbers.”Ron had low approval, bad polls, and no money, but he said that if I would endorse him, he could win. When I endorsed him, it was as though, to use a bad term, a nuclear weapon went off.”I also fixed his campaign, which had completely fallen apart.”Mr Desantis has neither confirmed nor denied that he will run for the Republican Party nomination in 2024. But, as MSNBC reports, Mr Trump is still way ahead of Mr Desantis in the polls for the primaries. A survey by the Morning Consult put Mr Trump on 48 percent while Mr Desantis languished on just 26 percent.Meanwhile, Mr Biden doesn’t seem threatened by either potential rival. On Thursday, the US President said it will be “fun” watching the two Republicans clash.