Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, has finally acknowledged that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.
In an interview with NBC News, DeSantis stated, "Whoever puts their hand on the Bible on Jan. 20 every four years is the winner," referring to the inauguration of the new president.
When directly asked about Trump's defeat, DeSantis firmly replied, "Of course he lost. Joe Biden's the president."
Despite his acceptance of the election results, DeSantis did not shy away from expressing his concerns about the electoral process. He criticized the media and election procedures, claiming that the 2020 election was not well-run and that Republicans failed to fight back effectively.
Notably, DeSantis raised doubts about mail-in ballots and laws allowing third parties to return ballots, but research has shown no widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, nor that voting by mail disproportionately favors any political party.
The Florida governor's careful framing of events surrounding the election appears to be an attempt to avoid alienating voters who still believe in Trump's unfounded claims of fraud.
Earlier in May, DeSantis had expressed dissatisfaction with the Republican Party's performance in recent election cycles, attributing the losses in 2018 and 2020 to a lack of accountability and a culture of losing within the party. He had also criticized Trump for not strongly condemning the January 6 Capitol attack, describing it as a "protest" that unfortunately devolved into violence.
Despite acknowledging Trump's defeat, DeSantis is still trailing behind the former president in the crowded field of potential 2024 Republican candidates. His stance on various issues, including his battle against "woke" culture in Florida, has also led to the loss of some billionaire donors in his presidential race.
As the political landscape continues to evolve, DeSantis's statements may have implications for his political future and his standing within the Republican Party. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.