Sfans bring all sorts of horsepower onto the road the day before. Hundreds of cars, mostly powerful pick-ups, blared through downtown Miami on Saturday. “Fuck Joe Biden”, “Trump”, “Trump 2024” are their messages on flags, banners and stickers.
It’s a wild party in summer temperatures. “Truuuuuuuuuump,” some yelled from the driver’s seat. Women wave Trump flags. Welcome to Florida, the adopted home of Donald Trump, just before the midterm elections.
Trump’s name is not on any ballot on Tuesday. He campaigns anyway. A good 24 hours after the kilometer-long convoy of cars, on Sunday afternoon, the hero climbs onto a stage that they set up at the Miami fairgrounds. Trump wears a red tie with a red Trump cap. “Welcome to my home state of Florida,” Trump shouted. He lives a good hour’s drive north. He will now stand at the lectern for around 100 minutes, even if it ends up raining heavily. “Save America” is written in large letters on the desk.
In no time Trump is with his blockbusters: the “radical left Democrats”, “crazy Nancy” (Pelosi), “Barack Hussein Obama” and of course Hillary Clinton. “Lock them up, lock them up,” chanted Trump fans. Half the world has changed since the Trump versus Clinton duel. Trump is playing again today in 2016.
“Trump won!” shouted his fans
“Trump won!” shouts the crowd, most of them in uniform with red caps, T-shirts or other Trump memorabilia. Trump made seven references to the 2020 presidential election during his speech. “I ran twice. I won twice,” he exclaims – just as he always has. Applause. Trump expressly appreciates the pillow entrepreneur Mike Lindell aka “Mister Pillow” – a blatant conspiracy theorist.
Of course Trump talks about inflation, gas prices, Afghanistan. Biden is to blame for everything, he is worse than the five worst presidents combined. But the real subject of Trump’s speech is: Trump.
The ‘winning’ 2020 election, the impeachment trials, the alleged FBI conspiracy, the lousy treatment by ‘the’ media. For minutes he blasphemed about the Democratic MP Adam Schiff, who had pushed the impeachment process. The “sneaky” ship is smart but ugly, looks like a watermelon. So things like that.
One thing you can rely on: In the end, Trump is about Trump. “We want Trump” or “Trump, run for office!” chanted the fans. “I’ll probably have to do it again,” Trump says of the 2024 election: “Stay tuned.”
Marco Rubio, Senator for Florida, speaks alongside Trump. However, the man who has a good chance of being confirmed as governor of Florida on Tuesday is not present. Ron DeSantis, 44, Republican like Trump – but his fiercest rival. He is holding his own rally at the same time, leaving Trump’s name unmentioned.
DeSantis also wants to be president. Trump doesn’t like that. The day before, at a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump even attacked DeSantis. He mocked his last name, spoke of Ron DeSanctimonious. In German: Ron hypocritical. Trump is good with nicknames. Trump turned to his internal rivals while reading off alleged poll numbers from a screen: “There’s Trump at 71 (percent). Ron DeSanctimonious at 10 percent.” On Sunday, Trump calls for the election of DeSantis, very briefly, without a personal word.
And DeSantis? Flashback: Friday night, the gym at a martial arts center in Coconut Creek, about an hour north of Miami. About 300 visitors have already prayed for DeSantis. The prayer leader honors the governor as a “fighter”. Now he stands like a boxer in the ring.
But DeSantis doesn’t even box verbally. He only appears self-confident, rattling off his track record as head of government in a slightly light voice.
No income tax, immigration from other parts of the USA, all freedoms for business, no compulsory vaccinations, no “gender indoctrination”, little bureaucracy. He portrays himself as a doer. As someone who makes sure that a bridge is passable again three days after it was destroyed by a hurricane. The message: I don’t need Washington. Of course, DeSantis does not mention that the federal government is helping, Hurricane Ian was just a month ago.
But he mocks New York and San Francisco, mocks Joe Biden. “Thank you, Ron” the audience chanted. DeSantis, four years in office, asks, “In the last four years, which of you have moved to Florida?” Dozens of hands go up.
DeSantis speaks in a structured manner, treating one topic after the other a little coolly. The contrast to Trump could hardly be greater. Of course, DeSantis also railed against “politicians”, which is always well received. DeSantis has been a career politician for ten years. The “elites” also get their fat off at DeSantis. DeSantis studied at Yale and Harvard, served in the Navy. More “elite” is not really possible.
“Probably in the next two weeks Trump will announce his candidacy”
“Donald Trump wants to know again,” says our US correspondent Michael Wüllenweber. He will “probably officially announce his candidacy in the next two weeks.”
Source: WELT/Michael Wüllenweber.
In terms of charisma, Trump is far superior to DeSantis, Trump is the far better speaker. Better not to risk a populism competition with Trump. DeSantis still tried it this summer. After the FBI raid on Trump, he railed against a “regime” and spoke of a “banana republic”. Such terms come from the Trump universe. But the copy is rarely better than the original. But isn’t DeSantis’ experience a pound? DeSantis could certainly govern better than Trump, more professionally, more efficiently. He knows how to organize a government headquarters. Trump had important notes taken from his desk. He hired overworked people, fired them again, couldn’t get the White House to work.
But does DeSantis even have a chance in today’s Trumpist Republican Party?
Outside the martial arts center where DeSantis is speaking: Mark is wearing a cowboy hat. His t-shirt reads “DeSantis Airlines” along with a picture of an airplane: “Free Round-Trip to Martha’s Vineyard.” This refers to DeSantis’ policy of flying refugees to the rich island of Martha’s Vineyard.
DeSantis fan Mark is from Detroit but has lived in Florida for 40 years
Source: Daniel Friedrich Sturm
Mark runs a print shop, comes from Detroit and has lived “down here” for 40 years. You can call him a DeSantis fan. “The best governor ever,” he says. DeSantis left Florida open during the corona pandemic. “It’s why I live in Florida,” says Mark.
Who should be the 2024 presidential nominee, Mark? “Trump,” he replies in a flash. Not DeSantis? “No, the time is not yet ripe for him. We have a big mess. We need Trump back.”
In Trump’s fan curve, where they wear “Trump 2024” knick-knacks, another candidate is unthinkable. The Republicans are a Trump party. According to this logic, Trump actually has to do it again, declare his candidacy. After the Midterms it could be so far.
“Kick-off Politics” is WELT’s daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or directly by RSS feed.